Becoming Our Own, Part 3
by Caera1996
Summary: A third anchor story (novel-length) in TBoPE/LAWG verse. Set five years after the end of Learning As We Go. Jo is eleven. Please see inside for a full summary. Note, this part is rated M.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Becoming Our Own, Part 1 (A and B)  
**Author:** Caera1996  
**Rating for this Part:** G  
**W/C:** 10,767 (total)  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine.  
**Timeline Notes:** A third anchor story (novel-length) in TBoPE/LAWG verse. Set five years after the end of Learning As We Go. Jo is eleven.  
**Summary:** Leonard, Jim, and Joanna have settled into the family they created. Changes and challenges are coming, though, for all of them. Moving, switching schools, issues with work, dealing with past issues that show up in the present, and an expanding extended family, are on the horizon. Through it all, as Jim and Leonard's bond is tested, _family_ is what holds them together.

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* * *

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Leonard pulled into the apartment complex and stopped by the mailbox kiosk. Leaving the car running, he glanced up at the chilly gray sky as he stepped out into the light rainfall. He grimaced at the unseasonable cold, damp weather, and quickly checked the mailbox, taking a second to flip through the few envelopes that were there. He stopped at one from the complex's management company, tucking the others under his arm so he could tear it open. Reading quickly, his brow drew together in annoyance, and he briefly debated dropping by the Leasing Office to speak to the property manager. A glance at his watch, though, told him he probably didn't have the time this conversation would need.

And he wanted to talk to Jim, too. They'd been building up to something for a while. Maybe this was the sign they'd been waiting for.

Leonard tossed the rest of the mail into the front seat and sat back down behind the wheel. He drove around the development to their building and parked, noting that Jim wasn't there yet, but knowing he would be there soon. He entered their apartment and quickly disengaged the alarm. Deciding to take advantage of the few minutes he had to change, he made his way to the bedroom, tossed his briefcase on the chair, then quickly disrobed.

As he was folding his pants to keep the crease, a trilling "mmrrow" from behind him made him turn. Jack, Joanna's orange tabby, stood in the middle of the room, looking up at Leonard as his tail twitched inquisitively.

"Sorry, Jack…Joanna's not home yet. And you know you're not supposed to be in here," Leonard said, as if the cat could understand him. He wasn't entirely unconvinced that he couldn't, and was just smart enough to keep that ability to himself.

Jack gave another little "brrrp," and promptly jumped up onto the neatly made bed, circling a spot and then settling down with a little sigh of contentment.

Leonard eyed the cat, considered shooing him away, but then just rolled his eyes. "You could at least pretend that you listen to us."

Predictably, Jack's tail twitched, but he didn't open his eyes or acknowledge the human in the room in any way.

"Bones?"

Leonard's attention was diverted from the cat at Jim's voice. "In the bedroom, Jim," he called.

"Hey, Bones…how are you?" Jim asked as he came into the room.

Leonard was just pulling a sweater over his head, and emerged smiling. "I'm fine, Darlin'. How about you?"

Jim shrugged, leaning in to kiss him, and Leonard responded, wrapping his arms around his strong back. Jim held on to him even as the kiss ended and Leonard furrowed his brow in concern.

"Jim?" he said, again, over his shoulder as they stood there, arms around each other and bodies pressing close. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Jim sighed. He pulled away, and gave Leonard a tired smile. "It's just something at work. It's…I don't know…it's a long story. I'll tell you about it later."

"Okay…well, as long as you're ok. You still up for tonight?"

"Oh, definitely!" Jim said, a smile – a real one this time – gracing his features, and Leonard couldn't help but smile in return. "We can't miss movie night! Jo's been looking forward to this for months."

Leonard nodded. It was true. Jo loved going to the movies, and had been waiting anxiously for the new Disney movie to come out since she first saw the coming attraction for it. So, after school was out, they were going to go to one of the theaters, have popcorn and snacks, and watch _Brave_. But before they could do that, they had a meeting with Jo's guidance counselor.

"Well, we gotta head out in about five minutes to make that appointment," Leonard said.

Jim nodded. "No problem. I just wanted to change my sneakers and throw on some jeans."

"And get a sweater."

"Bones…it's not even..." he paused, taking in the expression on Bones' face, and realized there was no point to even bothering. "Okay, fine."

Leonard smiled, and gave Jim another quick kiss. "I'll grab one for Jo, put dinner down for Jack, and then we'll head out."

Just a few minutes later, they were in Jim's car, headed towards McKinley. The quiet _thump-thump_ of windshield wipers provided background noise as they drove to the school for their meeting with the guidance counselor.

Leonard and Jim were used to meeting with the guidance counselor assigned to Joanna's year fairly often, but usually at the middle and ends of the quarters. This time, though, they were being asked to come in barely a week into the last quarter of the year. Leonard wasn't particularly concerned, but Jim had some thoughts about what it could be that he'd decided to keep to himself. No reason to speculate when they'd be finding out for sure soon enough.

"So, I got a letter from the management company today," Leonard said.

"Oh, yeah?" Jim said, glancing away from the road for a moment. "What'd they want?"

"Three guesses."

"Don't tell me they're raising the rent again?" Jim asked incredulously.

"Got it in one," Leonard replied dryly.

Jim rolled his eyes and shook his head, and then took another quick look the man beside him, sensing that he wasn't done speaking.

"So…I was thinking, maybe we should move."

Jim nodded. "Yeah, I think it's time. Though, really, Bones…I'm not sure if we're going to do much better rent-wise…"

"Well," Leonard said, a little hesitantly. "I was thinking…you know…I was going to talk to you about this later."

"No time like the present," Jim said, giving him a smile.

Leonard took a breath, feeling nervous, but figuring he may as well push through. "I was actually thinking, maybe we should see about the two of us buying a house. You know… ah…together."

Jim was quiet for a moment, absorbing that suggestion, and everything it meant. At one time the thought of being "settled down" enough to actually buy a house with someone would've sent him into a panic. But that wasn't what he was feeling now. Jim never felt more secure than when he was with Leonard. Secure and loved. It was those feelings that made something like the prospect of buying a house so easy. He glanced over at Leonard, reaching a hand out to him. Jim's fingers caught on the silver bracelet that matched the one he wore, and then he took Leonard's hand, and pulled it to him.

"That sounds like a fantastic idea," Jim said sincerely. "I love the idea of buying a house with you. I love that it would be ours, and something we have together."

Leonard smiled, so relieved and so happy that his suggestion had gone over well. It was a huge step, and though they'd lived together for a little less than five years now, and they'd made promises and vows to each other privately – signified by the bracelets they both wore – their connection to each other wasn't legal and binding in any way. This…buying a house together, with both their names' on the mortgage…was.

Jim gave Leonard's hand a squeeze. "I can't wait to make this happen with you."

"Me, too, Darlin'."

A short while later, they pulled into the McKinley lot. They exited the car, and Leonard made sure to take Joanna's sweater with them.

"What is with this weather?" he asked, as they hurried to the covered walkway. "Should have brought my umbrella."

Jim looked over at him with a smile. "Still such a southerner," he said affectionately.

"And damn proud of it," Leonard muttered.

He pulled open the door for Jim, and they stopped inside at the main hallway, taking a second to brush off water droplets.

Jim glanced at his cell. Despite the weather, they'd made good time, and they still had a few minutes. He looked over at Leonard, a question on the tip of his tongue. But Leonard, who knew Jim so well, could tell in just that glance what was on his mind.

"Want to drop by your old window?" he asked.

Jim nodded, smiling. "That'd be great."

His feet carrying him practically without thought, he led them to bypass the entrance to the Main Office and headed down the hallway. Walking the halls of the school always made him feel nostalgic, and a little wistful. So many good things had happened because he worked here.

They stopped in front of the one-way mirror that looked in to what used to be his classroom, a small smile pulling at his lips. Leonard watched Jim as he gazed into the room, watching the soft, fond look come over him. And not for the first time Leonard wondered about Jim's decision to not be a teacher, but focus more on psychology in his County position as the Lead Educational Psychologist. He'd been such a fantastic elementary school teacher, and he obviously loved it, and like his mama had said, "If you're a teacher, you're a teacher."

But Jim had proven to be the exception to that rule. And he was genuinely happy and content with it. Most of the time.

Leonard focused his attention on the kindergarten classroom, and the teachers and children within. To his eye, it looked mostly the same. He was sure there were differences that reflected the teacher who was in there now, and he knew Jim would be able to point them out easily, but the overall look and set-up on the room was the same.

"Hey," Leonard said, after a few moments, putting his arm around Jim's shoulders. "We should get going."

Jim stirred and looked over at him. "Yeah…let's go."

"You ever sorry you're not in there anymore?" Leonard asked as they turned away.

"Mmm…not exactly sorry," Jim said. "I just…I don't know. I really enjoyed my time here, working with the kiddos and doing the assessments on the side, and getting to be at the start of their educational careers. But I also love what I do now, and I don't think I'd be okay with going back to being a teacher."

Leonard nodded. He understood feeling wistful over what gets left behind as life changes. It's just the way it was sometimes.

Arriving at the Main Office, Jim pulled the door open and followed Leonard in.

"Hello Jean," Jim said, addressing the secretary behind the counter, waving a hello.

Jean smiled at them. "Dr. McCoy, Dr. Kirk," she said formally.

Jim raised an eyebrow, doing a fair impression of Leonard's expression, with a completely different outcome. Leonard thought it made him look severe. On Jim, though, it just looked goofy.

Jean chuckled and nodded her head in acknowledgment. "Leonard, Jim," she amended. "It's good to see you."

"Good to see you, too, Jean. Can we….?" Jim gestured towards the hall that led to the offices.

"Yes, go on back. Carol is waiting for you."

"Okay, thanks," Leonard said. "Oh, and is Nyota around? We just wanted to say hello."

"No, she's actually off-campus this afternoon, but I'll pass along the message!"

They headed down the hallway, towards the office that Elizabeth Dehner used to occupy. After the situation with Elizabeth, the school's board made the decision to divide the guidance counselor duties by school level. The elementary Guidance Counselor was a kindly older woman who looked like everyone's idea of the perfect grandmother, and the children she worked with loved her.

It'd been a little more difficult to find a middle school guidance counselor, and they'd been through a few of them. Carol Marcus, who was in the position now, had moved to the area recently, leaving a situation similar to McKinley as she'd worked in a small magnet school. So far, she was fitting into the McKinley culture perfectly. As the eleven-year-old Joanna was now taking classes with the 7th graders, Carol had been her g.c. for just under a year.

"Dr. McCoy, it's good to see you again," Carol said warmly, rising from her desk and reaching to shake his hand. She switched her attention to Jim, smiling as her eyes brightened with interest and her gaze became frankly assessing. "Dr. Kirk, it's so nice to meet you. I attended your workshop on classroom arrangement for learning styles at the CEP symposium last month. It was very interesting. I'd love if we could get together to talk more about it some time."

"It's nice to meet you to…and yeah…I'd be happy too," Jim replied. He shifted a little, feeling a bit self-conscious under her gaze. It didn't help that he could tell Bones was trying not to smile.

"Well, please, take a seat," Carol said after a moment, gesturing to the two chairs on the other side of her desk. Relieved that things were moving along, Jim closed the door and he and Leonard settled in their chairs. "Thanks for coming in. I know it's off the regular schedule, but I didn't want to wait."

Seeing Leonard's concerned expression, Carol was quick to raise her hands in a placating gesture.

"First, let me say that Joanna is, as usual, an exemplary student, and she's doing so very well. And there is nothing wrong in that regard. This meeting is about next year."

She paused, steepling her fingers for a moment as she gathered her thoughts.

"As you know, although Joanna is attending class with seventh graders, most of the work she is doing is at least at the eighth grade level."

Leonard and Jim nodded, acknowledging this. Not one to be content with staying still, academically speaking, Joanna was forging ahead in her subjects. She did the work required by the class, but she didn't stop with it.

"McKinley stops at eighth grade. And although Joanna is welcome to continue here, of course, we – her current teachers and I – don't think she'll be getting as much out of her schooling as she could – as she _should_ – if she stayed with us."

Carol watched the two men as they took in that information, her eyes tracking between their faces. Jim…didn't look all that surprised. Which didn't surprise Carol. The man was a genius in their field. Leonard looked…carefully neutral.

"So, what are you telling me?" Leonard asked after a moment, just the barest hint of a challenge in his voice. "That my daughter is too smart for the teachers and curriculum?"

"The curriculum, yes. The teachers, no. The problem, though, is that the teachers have to focus on the curriculum for the rest of their students. As Joanna moves into high school level work, her teachers just aren't going to have the resources on hand to provide her with information from which to work. Now, Joanna can of course continue as she is, doing what extra work we can pull from outside resources at the pace that suites her. But ask yourself, is that really what you want for her? To move ahead without any real instruction?"

Jim remained quiet, but he looked over at Leonard as he tried to see the problem with that.

"I think I understand what you mean," Jim said after a moment. "So, like, for example, she could be reading ninth and tenth grade books, but I don't think anyone's ever really taught her how to analyze what she's reading, and answer a full essay question about it."

"Exactly," Carol said. "And what I think will end up happening is that she'll have all this background knowledge that she gained on her own – time well-spent for sure – but lack the ability of application."

"Okay," Leonard said after a moment. "I see what you mean. But…I have to be honest here…I'm not sure what else to do with her. McKinley has been such a good fit, and she's been able to open up so much by having the stability of this school…I didn't think we were going to have to deal with a transition for another year."

"Well, and you still might not," Carol replied. "Like I said, Joanna is welcome to stay and finish the eighth grade with us. But we just wanted to put it out there that there might be a better situation for her."

"Do you have any ideas, Carol?" Jim asked.

"Actually, yes. There are a few options that I was able to come up with." She handed a folder to them. Leonard accepted it, and he and Jim opened it, flipping through some of the documents Carol had put together as she continued talking.

She'd outlined for them three good possibilities – a school, an online charter, and an in-person tutor-based academic program. All of them had their positives and negatives that Leonard could see right off the bat, and he was sure there were more of both that he and Jim would have to delve more deeply into the information to ascertain.

They talked right up until the bell, then all three of them stood and shook hands.

"Thanks so much for putting all of this together, Carol," Leonard said sincerely. "Everyone here has always cared so much about Joanna…I really appreciate the effort to put this together."

"No problem. Joanna is a sweet girl, with an amazing future. We all just want to see her get as much as she can out of her education."

Carol walked them out, and to the front office.

"Thanks for coming in Leonard, and it was very good to see you, Jim. I'll call you, and let's set up that date for coffee or lunch. Have a great weekend." With that, she excused herself to go handle her end of day duty with some of the late-pickup kids.

After she left, Leonard turned to Jim with a teasing smile on his face. "It was _very_ good to see _you_, Jim," he said, smile growing wider as Jim flushed – a very uncharacteristic look on him.

"Come on, Bones, really? How old are you?" he asked, casting his eyes to the side. "She's just interested in my work."

"Sure she is. Good thing I know you're all mine," he said quietly.

Jim flushed again, unused to being the focus of such obvious female attention. Leonard huffed a laugh, and reached out to give Jim's arm an affectionate squeeze.

He cleared his throat, and changed the subject entirely. "We're meeting Jo here?" Jim checked.

"Yeah," Leonard replied. He tapped the folder tucked under Jim's arm. "We're going to have to go over this more carefully."

"Definitely. On one hand, I don't want her to waste her time by not getting the appropriate instruction. On the other, there's a lot more to a kid than appropriate instruction."

Leonard nodded, and was about to say something more, but Jo walked in just then, all smiles, and they tabled it. They needed to talk more about it together before bringing it to Jo. She tended to stress herself out over things like this, and neither of them wanted that.

"Hi Daddy! Hi Uncle Jim!" she exclaimed. She gave each of them a hug, then stepped back, holding one of their hands in each of hers. "Are we still all set to go to the movie?"

"Yes we are, Baby," Leonard said, tucking some of her flyaway curls behind her ear and smiling at her excitement.

"Jo…why don't you hand me your backpack," Jim said. "And put on the sweater…it's chilly and rainy outside…and we'll get going."

"Okay, um…here…"

A couple of moments later, they were set to go so they hurried across the parking lot, one of Jo's hands being held by each of them. Jim opened the car for them, and everyone climbed inside, happy to be out of the drizzle.

"You buckled, Jo?" Leonard asked, turning to look at her in the backseat.

"Yup!"

Jim smiled at her in the rearview mirror.

"Have a good day at school, sweetie?"

"Yeah, a pretty good day. There were a lot of tests today…a test in science, and English and social studies. They were easy."

"I don't remember you studying for them, Jo," Leonard said. "Did you?"

Concerned that there might be wrong answer here, Jo shrugged and kept her eyes focused on the world outside of the car, watching the scenery as they drove.

"I spent some time reviewing what the teachers said would be covered for the social studies and science, and I did some reading on the English stuff last night."

"Okay, that's fine Baby," Leonard said, quick to reassure her when he heard the hesitancy in her voice. "Did you talk to your pen pal today?"

"No…not yet. I sent her an email, though."

Leonard and Jim exchanged glances. One of the things the kids were doing in the social studies class is participating in a "pen pal" program with students from other parts of the world. The kids were given interview questions to start off their conversations that were designed to give them a peak into other ways of life. Students who wanted to videochat with their pen pals were given permission slips to take home. Leonard had signed one a few weeks ago, but Jo had yet to work up the nerve and overcome her shyness enough to do it.

"What's your pal's name again?" Jim asked. "She's from Scotland, right?"

"Right. Tierney," Joanna replied. "Hey, Dad, can I get a hotdog at the movie theater? And popcorn? I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry," Leonard said, reaching into the backseat to squeeze her leg.

Joanna giggled and squirmed away from the ticklish touch. "I'm a growing girl!"

The weather had a predictably negative affect on the traffic, and it took a bit longer to get there than they were anticipating.

"Are we gonna miss the movie?" Jo asked, as she flipped through one of her books in the backseat.

"Well, we might miss the one we planned to go to, but I think it's playing every half hour or so," Jim said. "Bones, you want to check my phone?"

Leonard accepted the smartphone from Jim, an expression of disdain on his face. "I don't know how to use these things, Jim. How do I get the screen to turn on?"

"Daddy, I'll do it," Joanna said with a sigh. She held her hand out, and when Jim nodded, Leonard handed it over.

"How do you know how to do it?" he asked, watching as she swiped her finger over the screen a few times, and tapping to get where she wanted to be.

Eyes on the screen, Jo replied, "Everyone knows how to do it, Dad."

Leonard raised his eyebrow at the hint of impatience in her voice.

"Well, almost everyone," Jim added, and Jo giggled.

"Hey…no making fun of me. I just like my phone to be for callin' and my computer for computin'."

Jim smiled and rolled his eyes. "It's okay, Bones. We love you anyways, right Jo?"

"Oh, I guess," Joanna replied, a smile on her lips. "You were right, Uncle Jim…it's playing every half hour."

"Ya'll are too kind," Leonard drawled.

About twenty minutes later than it should've been, they finally arrived at the movieplex. This particular one was located in a pretty big complex, with eighteen screens, a couple of restaurants, an arcade, and more than a few boutique shops. It was a popular place, and always very busy.

"You want to buy our tickets, Jo?" Jim asked as they stood in line, pulling out some cash and holding it out to her.

"Um, no…can you do it?" she said, shaking her head.

"I can…but you can, too. Come on, three tickets for _Brave_. Let me see you be brave."

"Oh, okay," she said, smiling at the pun.

Leonard squeezed Jim's hand, acknowledging the win. Jim had suggested a while ago that they start putting Joanna in situations where she'd have to speak up for herself…ordering things, paying for things, and the like. It was a simple exercise designed to help her gain confidence to open up to and speak to others.

The eleven-year-old Joanna was now was a far cry from the five-year-old she'd been. She was more confident, more likely to stand up for herself, more likely to talk to a classmate. But she hadn't grown as far out of the introversion and shyness as Leonard had hoped. Jim knew this, but cautioned against pushing her too hard, knowing that could backfire. Instead, they did little things like encourage her to interact with people as often as possible.

Tickets in hand, they made their way to the concession stand, and again Jo placed their order and handed over the money. While they waited, Jim slung a casual arm around Leonard's waist, tucking his fingers into his back pocket. Jo was pulling napkins out of the dispenser when the sound of kids snickering caught her attention. Looking around, she saw a couple of teenage boys laughing at her father and Jim. They hadn't noticed, and instead of saying anything, Jo settled for throwing them the nastiest look she could. _Stupid boys_.

Determined to not let anything put a damper on their night out, she turned away from them and put her own arm around her father's waist, too. A short while later, laden down with their snacks and drinks, they let Jo lead them to the perfect seats and with Jo seated between them, they settled down to watch Merida's story.

It was cute, but it was a Disney movie, and though Jo was obviously entranced, neither Leonard nor Jim was as wrapped up in the story as she was. Each of them had a lot going through their minds…whatever it was Jim wanted to talk about, the new goal of finding and buying a house, and now this issue with finding Jo a school. Leonard looked at Jim's profile over Jo's head, and as if he could sense Leonard's eyes on him, Jim turned and met his gaze. He gave Leonard a smile, and he felt himself fall all over again. Every time Jim smiled at him like that he was reminded just how damn lucky he was.

How many people got to say they were completely in love with their best friend, and have those feelings reciprocated…even after all this time? Leonard knew he was in a small, very fortunate pool on that one.

The crowd, comprised almost completely of parents with children of varying ages, erupted into spontaneous applause towards the end of the movie, when Merida's mother came back to her in human form. Leonard looked over at Jo, catching her wiping her eyes with a napkin. Jim noticed too, and exchanged a look with Leonard. Neither of them had realized how "mother and daughter" centric this movie was going to be.

As the closing credits rolled over Scottish-sounding Disney music, both men leaned close to her. Leonard kissed her cheek and Jim pressed his lips to her temple.

"You okay, Baby?" he asked. People in their row were filing past, but they kept their seats, not in any rush to go.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. It was just…I loved the end. I loved when Merida was saying about being brave enough to find your own fate. I like that idea."

"How about the rest of the movie, Jo? Did you enjoy it?" Jim asked.

"Yeah…it was a really good story! And it all looked so…real! Like the background? It didn't look like it was fake at all."

Jo paused and gathered the trash from her hotdog, drink, and the popcorn they'd shared.

"It didn't bother me that it was about a daughter and mother, mostly," she added after a second. "I still liked it."

"Good," Jim said. "I liked it too. I liked it when she split that arrow down the center. That really showed the boys, didn't it?"

"Yeah!" Jo agreed, a smile lighting up her adorable face. "That was pretty funny."

Happy to see that even if it had gotten to her a little, Joanna still seemed to really enjoy herself, Leonard kissed her again and stood up. "We ready to get out of here?" he asked.

"Yup!" Jo said. She and Jim stood and they followed Leonard out of the row of seats and down the aisle, depositing their trash as they went. Because it was so cloudy it looked darker than it should at that time of evening, but the rain had stopped – at least for the moment.

"So, what do you guys think?" Jim asked, once they were all in the car. "Are we hungry enough to go out to dinner, or should we go home, and maybe just graze on what's in the fridge?"

"Graze," Joanna replied immediately. "I ate so much popcorn."

"And a hotdog," Leonard added.

"And then more popcorn," Jim added with a smile as he looked over his shoulder.

"Oh, no, Uncle Jim…you ate at least as much popcorn as I did. So did you, Daddy. I saw you taking handfuls when you thought no one was looking."

"Caught me, Baby. So…home then. I can make us a snack later if we get hungry again."

That decision settled, Jim drove them home, navigating carefully on highways and surface streets in traffic still affected by the weather.

"Don't follow so close, Jim," Bones murmured at one point, tensing in his seat as a car in front of them braked hard enough that Jim had to do the same.

"Sorry, Bones," Jim said easily, and eased up, doing as Bones asked even though he felt a little annoyed at the backseat driving. He'd never been in an accident…he didn't need to be told how to drive.

Once they got home, everyone changed into more comfortable clothes – pajamas for Jo, t-shirt and sweatpants for Jim and Leonard, and they each settled into their own quiet activity.

Joanna had always been very good at entertaining herself, a quality Leonard had experienced mixed feelings about. He'd seen the way Jo would go to her room when she got home from school, often closing her door and staying in there until she was called for dinner. At first he'd been concerned that she was upset about something and hiding it. Jim, though, had suggested that it was just her way of recharging after hours of having to interact.

_"She's an introverted person," Jim had explained. "That's different from just being shy. Introverts need time to themselves because socializing just takes a lot out of them. Haven't you noticed that when she doesn't have a chance to keep to herself for a bit after school how cranky she gets? You're like that, too, you know," he said with a fond smile._

After having it pointed out to him, Leonard realized Jim was right…about him and Jo…but he hadn't seen the connection until Jim pointed it out. And then, after that, he didn't feel so worried about her anymore. Now, they made a conscious effort to make sure she got that time to herself every day, and the effects were visible. She was a happier, more outgoing child when she had time to just be by herself.

Now, as Jo wandered off into her room, faithful Jack following, Jim and Leonard settled on the couch together. Leonard put his feet up on the ottoman and Jim leaned against him, bringing the laptop with him.

"So, Bones," Jim said, happiness in his voice. "You want to buy a house with me?" He looked over at Leonard as the computer went through its start-up mode.

"Yeah, Darlin'," Leonard replied, a smile on his face. He kissed Jim, one hand coming up to cup his jaw. "I want to buy a house with you."

"That's so awesome. Where do we start? I've never bought a house before."

"I did…once," Leonard replied, and Jim nodded. He knew that he'd bought a house with his ex-wife before she was his ex. He'd sold that house, too, when he'd made the decision to move out to California. "First things we should do are find a realtor, and get all the funding in place…see how much we can afford, what our rate will be…things like that." He paused, a thought coming to him for the first time. "Jim…do you think we'll have any trouble finding someone who will work with us?"

Jim looked over at him. "You mean working with a gay couple?" Leonard nodded, and Jim shrugged. "It's possible. I don't think it's very likely, though. There's such a stigma attached to that now. I think it would be more likely that we may run in to people not wanting to sell their house to us."

"Hm…I hadn't thought of that," Leonard admitted.

"Well, don't worry about it Bones. There's so many houses on the market right now…I just know we'll find the perfect one. When do you want to tell Jo?"

Leonard hesitated, thinking about that for a moment. "Oh, let's wait until we have something for sure to tell her."

"You don't want to have her be part of the process?" Jim asked.

"No, I do…but…I don't know. I don't want to worry her. And with the possibility of moving, and now maybe trying to find a new school…I feel like she's finally _comfortable_. She's in a school she likes, she has friends, she has relatives…she has everything I've ever wanted for her. We've been in a good steady state for a while, and I just feel like we're going to slide backwards if we throw too much at her too soon."

Jim understood. He remembered, vividly, what those first few days of school had been like for her, and how stressful it'd been on Bones, to see his little girl go through that. And he'd seen how every milestone – making a friend, reading to the class, starting a new year without tears, taking part in a school play, participating in group projects, actively looking for community service activities, and getting her friends involved, instead of just following along quietly in the background – was just as much a triumph for Bones as it was for Joanna.

Jim smiled gently, reaching a hand up to card through his hair. "You're such a good father, Bones. I wish every kid had the opportunity to have a dad like you. I get it. I get why you're concerned, but change is a part of life. Protecting her from everything isn't going to help for long, because those changes will occur. And instead of giving her time to come to grips with it, they'll just be there. All of a sudden. She's done so well over these last five years…but that's because you and I push her. Kids need those pushes, or they'll never learn to adapt."

Bones sighed, hearing and recognizing the truth in those words. "You're a good father, too, Jim. Joanna is lucky to have you. You're right…we should at least give her a head's up. Let's talk to her about moving, but let's not say anything about the school situation yet. One thing at a time."

"Sounds good, Bones," Jim said. He stretched for a kiss, then settled back down, resting his head on Bones' strong shoulder. "Thank God it's the weekend. What a day."

"Did something happen today?" Bones asked, remembering the way Jim had held on to him when they'd met in the bedroom earlier that afternoon.

"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about it now. Let's wait till later, when everyone's in bed," Jim said.

_Translation_, Bones thought. _Touchy subject, not for little ears._

"Are _you_ okay?" he asked, a little concerned by Jim's tone.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. It's just a situation I came across at work today." He hesitated, and for a moment Bones thought he was going to go into more detail, but Jim changed the subject. "Now…where do you think we should start looking?"

For a few minutes, Leonard and Jim focused on the laptop, going through various realtor listings for single-family homes in the different neighborhoods in the area. They easily agreed that it would be best to try to find something between the University and hospital, where Leonard worked, and the school board building. Jim was, more often than not, actually in the field visiting different schools, but his office was at the main district building, and he was there at least twice a week.

"Ooh, look at this one, Bones," Jim said, enlarging a nice-looking two-story. "I really like this one."

"Yeah?" Leonard asked, looking between the online picture and Jim. It was a very…traditional-looking house…and not one he'd really thought would be Jim's style. Leonard liked it too…and it wasn't a row house, which Leonard appreciated. However, it was priced much higher than he'd had in mind. Not completely un-doable, but still more than he'd originally thought he'd be comfortable with.

"Yeah," Jim said, with a little shrug. He looked up at Leonard with a sweet smile. "I can picture our family being really happy there."

Leonard felt warmed through at that thought and he bent to kiss Jim as he cupped his strong jaw. And he knew he'd buy Jim that house exactly if it made him smile like that all the time.

A few minutes later, the sound of little feet coming down the hall prompted Jim to close the laptop and set it gently down on the floor, sliding it out of the way.

"Dad, Uncle Jim," Joanna said a moment later, coming around the couch to stand in front of them. "Can we play a game?"

Jim opened his arms to her, and with a smile, she joined them on the couch, snuggling down with them.

"What do you want to play?" Leonard asked.

"Umm…Monopoly?"

"Ugh," Leonard said. "You two are just going to beat the pants off me again."

Jim and Joanna chuckled, and Jim slapped her a high-five.

"How about Scrabble?" Jim suggested.

"Yeah, okay!" Jo said. "We haven't played that game in a while. I'll…let me go and I'll get it."

She tried to push herself up, but Jim held her in place and her father reached around him to tickle her sides. She struggled and laughed, drumming her little feet against the couch as she wriggled out of Jim's grip.

"Ha! I got free!" she exclaimed, flipping her messy hair out of her face. "Ok, I'll go get it. Be right back."

With that, she skipped out of the room, and Jim and Leonard exchanged looks.

"You ready for a night of exciting word play?" Leonard asked drily.

Jim smiled. "Always. Let's make some cocoa and tea."

Once everyone had their drinks, they settled themselves on the floor around the Scrabble board, and Jim felt himself relaxing as he took in the quiet, comforting scene. He loved this. He loved Bones for giving him this. He couldn't imagine needing anything else in his life to feel as complete as he did. Leonard looked up and caught Jim staring at him over the game board. Jim's eyes smiled happily, and Leonard quirked a smile in return.

"What's the secret?" Jo asked suddenly.

"Secret?" Leonard replied. "What makes you think there's a secret, Baby?"

"I don't know…you and Uncle Jim were smiling like you have a secret. That's…nine points for this word. Your turn Uncle Jim."

"Good job Jo!" Jim said, turning his attention to his tiles, leaving Bones to deal with the "secret".

"No secret, Jo. We're just happy. Are you happy?"

"Yeah, Daddy, I'm very happy," she said, smiling to show her dimples.

Leonard couldn't help but smile back, as always completely charmed. He nodded, and then asked, "Do you think you'd be happy if we maybe started looking around for a new house?"

Jim froze as he was lining tiles up on the board for a double point word, looking up at Bones in surprise. He caught his eye, and Bones shrugged slightly. Jim shook his head. He should have known. It wasn't like Bones to beat around the bush after a decision was made.

"A new house?" Joanna repeated. "Like, not live in an apartment?"

"Yeah," Bones said. "Move out of this apartment into a house instead."

As was her custom, Joanna was quiet for a moment, contemplating the possibility and what it could mean. "Are we going to move far?" she asked.

"No, not far," Jim replied. "Your dad and I still want to be kinda close to where we work."

"And I don't want to be too far from my school, too, right?" Joanna said, looking up at them with intelligent eyes. Jim and Leonard carefully did not look at each other, knowing very well what Jo was fishing for, and knowing that that discussion was still a way off.

"We're only going to look for houses that are close to where you're going to school," Leonard replied, exchanging a quick look Jim.

"Then I think that's good!" Jo replied. "I like that we would have our own house. When are we going to move?"

"Well, it depends, Jo," Jim replied. "We have to find someplace first."

"Okay, well, can I help you look?"

Happy that the idea of moving had gone over so well, everyone refocused their attention on the game. They played by the rules and didn't give Jo any slack. She didn't win…and nobody expected her to…but she had fun and managed to put up some pretty high-point words.

The rest of the night passed quietly, and a short while later Jo decided she was going to go read in bed, and then go to sleep. They pretty much let Jo decide her own bedtime schedule on weekends, and she was fairly consistent. She'd stay up till nine or ten, then read for a while. It was a privilege she'd gradually earned by being good about bedtime and waking up in the morning for school, and it worked for everyone. She got to do what she wanted, for the most part, and Jim and Leonard got some time to themselves every night.

Tonight, after doing his customary rounds of checking the windows, doors, and making sure the alarm was engaged, Leonard turned off lights throughout the apartment as he made his way back to his bedroom. He stopped at Jo's door, pushing it open a little more to peek in on her, and he had to smile at what he saw. Her bedside light was on, she was propped up on her pillows, and a book rested page-side down on her chest as she slept, Jack curled up beside her. Pushing the door open the rest of the way, he came into her room and roused her enough to settle comfortably in the bed, closing the book and leaving it on her bedside table. He snapped off the light and leaned down to kiss her, brushing his lips on her forehead.

"Mmph, g'night Daddy," she mumbled, barely opening her eyes.

"Goodnight Baby," Leonard whispered. "Sweet dreams."

He left her room, closing the door quietly behind him. He continued to his bedroom, catching Jim as he was taking off his clothes, leaving himself just in boxers.

"Jo good?"

"Already asleep."

Jim smiled. "I knew she wouldn't last long when she misspelled valiant. The news about moving went over well."

"Yeah," Leonard said, as he pulled his shirt over his head. "I know that was a surprise, but I figured may as well get it out there."

"I hope she takes any news about changing schools as well," Jim said.

"Hm. Well, let's not worry about that yet," Leonard replied. He dropped his clothes in the hamper and turned back to Jim, all of his attention on him. "Come here." They wrapped their arms around each other and just held on. Leonard tightened his arms around him as Jim rested his head on his shoulder. After a few moments they separated, and Leonard looked into Jim's eyes. "I want to hear about your day. Tell me what's up."

Taking his hand, Leonard led Jim to the bed, and they settled down, making themselves comfortable sitting so they could see each other as they talked.

"Were you in a school today?" Leonard asked, giving Jim an opening to get started.

"Yeah," Jim replied with a sigh. "A middle school. I was actually there to do a workshop with a group of girls, but a staff member asked me to talk to a sixth grade boy. Apparently, he's always a problem, but over the last few weeks seemed to be getting worse. Argumentative, angry all the time, antagonistic…you know." Leonard nodded, and Jim continued. "But he wasn't really lashing out at other students, for the most part. Usually he's belligerent towards adults. So, I spent a few minutes with him, and he wouldn't talk to me very much, but Bones…I got a really bad vibe."

"What kind of bad vibe?" Leonard asked.

"I just got the sense that he's dealing with something bad," Jim said. "Not from anything he said, or did, or even anything anyone was able to tell me. It's just…a gut feeling."

Leonard nodded. He knew what it was like to have nothing but a gut feeling influencing your perceptions. It's happened to him as a doctor, and in his own life. Listening to it, Leonard had learned, was important. It was often what separated good doctors from great doctors. He didn't see any reason why it would be different for someone in Jim's position.

But that wasn't everything. Jim dealt with stuff like this all the time. This kid seemed to have touched a deeper nerve.

"So what about him made such an impression on you?" Leonard asked.

Jim kept his eyes focused somewhere on the bed between them, and was quiet for a few seconds. Leonard gently grasped his foot and gave it a squeeze, just to touch, and connect. And Jim responded to that, looking up at him.

"He reminded me a lot of me. Of what I was like at that age. Except I had Sam, and Chrissy, to keep me from getting too bad. I just…I have the feeling that he doesn't have anyone, and the people, or person, who are in his life, is – at the very least, are extremely neglectful and at the worst, are abusive. It just…hurt to see a kid going through something like that. And I don't feel like anyone at the school notices him. Every class is overcrowded, every teacher is overworked, and everyone is just too willing to write him off as 'problem student' without bothering to find out _why_…what's causing him to be a problem."

Leonard nodded, understanding the situation, and why Jim had seemed so out of sorts about it, better now.

"What are you going to do about it?" Leonard asked, knowing very well there was no way Jim was going to leave a situation that he felt that strongly about unresolved.

Jim sighed, shaking his head. "I don't really know, Bones. I need more time with him, to try to get him to talk to me, to maybe talk to a couple of his teachers, and definitely the staff member who pointed him out to me in the first place."

"Can you make that happen?"

"Yeah, for a few days. And then what, though? Get some actionable information out of him then call CPS? They're so overrun that if they do anything at all it'll just be to take him out of his home, put him in the foster system, and then God knows what."

Leonard heard the exasperation in Jim's voice and sympathized with him. It sucked to feel like your hands are tied, or that the solution could almost be worse than the problem.

"Well, Darlin', I don't have any advice for you, except to take it one step at a time. Maybe, as you spend more time at the school, you'll find someone who can be this kid's advocate. Or maybe, whatever it is that's causing him to act out is just something temporary. Maybe he just needs someone to talk to. But, Jim…whatever the problem is…he's lucky to have you on his side, whether he ever knows it or not."

Jim smiled tiredly, feeling some of the tension melt off of him. As usual, Bones knew what to say to help him put things in perspective. Despite what his personal feelings, the situation with this kid wasn't all that different from any of the hundreds of kids he saw every year, and Bones was right. He just needed to take it one step at a time, as he would with any other situation.

He sighed. "Thanks, Bones. And you're right…a step at a time is the way to go. It's just hard to keep things in perspective when it touches so close to home."

"I know, Darlin'. I wish there was something I could say or do to make it easier for you."

Jim didn't doubt that for a second, and to hear Bones say it warmed him through. Wanting more, he shifted so that he could sit with Bones and be held. Attuned to Jim as he was, Bones just seemed to know what he needed and wrapped him in his arms, slumping down on the bed comfortably. Tucked against his side, Jim rested his head on Bones' shoulder and closed his eyes and sighed, so easily comforted by the physical and emotional closeness they shared.

He slid a hand across the firm plane of Bones' stomach, and felt Bones take hold of that wrist, gently running his fingers over the silver bracelet Jim almost never took off. Bones wore the matching one, a Christmas present from Jim to both of them their first Christmas together. Originally, he'd given it, and they'd worn them, as a promise to each other. Now, it was also a symbol of their commitment, to their relationship and to their family. And Jim wouldn't have had it any other way.

Despite his worry and concern over the things he came up against every day at work, he could hardly remember a time when he wasn't this happy and content. He couldn't even imagine going back to a time in his life when he'd have to deal with things like this on his own. He could, for sure, if he had to. But it was so much…better…to have someone to share it with. It didn't feel too big, or too much. Having Bones in his corner, knowing that he was there, and _wanted_ to be there, made a difference that he just hadn't expected.

Leonard traced his hand up and down Jim's arm, and let his head rest against him. Despite the early hour, he was drowsy and it was so comfortable laying here like this. Jim was a warm weight beside and over him, and Leonard could feel that he had relaxed, letting go of the tension of the day. He couldn't see Jim's face in this position, but the even, quiet breathing indicated that Jim had already dozed off, or was close to it. He looked down at the arm across his belly, as his fingers rubbed over the bracelet, and then moved the gentle touch to Jim's palm. His fingers closed on Bones' with a squeeze. After a few more minutes of lying quietly together, he roused when Jim shifted, and they both stretched, yawning.

"I feel like an old fart, Bones," Jim complained. "It's not even 10:30 on a Friday night and I feel like I could sleep for ten hours."

Leonard smiled, rubbing his eyes. "Felt like a long week, didn't it? But you know what we have in front of us Darlin'?"

Jim thought for a moment, trying to remember if there was something going on this weekend. "What?" he asked finally.

"Nothin'," Leonard replied. "Nothin' that has to be done. And, Jo is going to Ella's tomorrow to work on a school project…the 'Around the World' one with the penpals. And you know what that means, don'tcha?"

Jim smiled, and reached to kiss Bones, sliding his hands into the thick, dark hair and pulling gently. Bones made a little sound at the back of his throat and opened for Jim, holding him and pulling him closer. They separated to breathe, and shifted further down in the bed. Leonard used the leverage he had to roll them, so that he could support himself over Jim and look into his eyes. They kissed again, softly, then Leonard gently nuzzled his jaw and kissed his neck, smiling as Jim writhed in ticklishness, his knees coming up to bracket Leonard's body as he clutched at his shoulders and his toes clenched in the bedsheets. Leonard chuckled softly, the vibrations going straight down Jim's spine to his toes.

"Bones!" Jim gasped. "It tickles!"

Chuckling again, Leonard let up and caught Jim's lips in another kiss, pressing their lower bodies together, making them both gasp at the sensations as he moved.

"Still tired?" Leonard asked, looking down into Jim's eyes as he threaded their fingers together, holding Jim's hands against the mattress.

"Mmm…suddenly I'm wide awake," Jim replied, his eyes dark with lust. He raised his head to kiss Leonard again, and he obliged. Leonard's eyes slipped closed Jim explored his mouth, his soft lips a counterpoint to the slight roughness of a day's worth of stubble. Jim freed a hand and gently stroked up and down Leonard's bare back, then reached down further to slip his fingers under the waistband of his boxers.

Leonard could kiss Jim like this forever, that seemingly simple intimacy such a turn-on to him. He loved the strength and gentleness, the firm touch and soft strokes…the closeness. Especially the closeness. But there were other things he loved to do, too, and he could feel that Jim agreed. He used his legs to both hold himself over Jim's body and move against him, pressing and rubbing their bodies together. The material of their boxers intensified the feelings as sensitive skin rubbed against the fabric, teasing them so perfectly.

Moving against each other, little groans and gasps falling from their lips in between kisses, Jim's hand clenched tightly on Bones', just holding on. They both hardened, and Leonard lowered his head and breathed hard against Jim's shoulder, resisting the urge to reach down and give himself more of what he was craving…more friction, and ultimately relief from the deliciously tantalizing feel as they thrust against each other, still separated by layers of fabric.

Leonard stroked up and down Jim's body with his free hand, fingers finding a nipple. He gently pinched and rubbed, and Jim shivered. Loving how responsive Jim was to such a simple touch, Leonard lowered his head and tongued nipple, sucking and licking as Jim moaned continuously.

"Oh, god…oh…" Jim let his head fall back, eyes rolling back as he jerked each time Leonard gently squeezed that sensitive nub between his teeth. "Feels so good…so…Bones, please…." Jim moved and strained under him, desperate for more of everything. "You're going to make me come in my shorts."

Leonard chuckled against his chest, then looked up, meeting the fiercely blue eyes that were dark with lust. "Well, let's fix that real quick, Darlin'," he replied. Jim lifted his hips for him, and Leonard tugged the boxers down his legs and off, dropping them to the floor.

"You too," Jim said, his voice low and urgent. "Need you now, Bones."

Leonard did as he was told, pulling back enough to push them down and off, and that gave Jim room to twist under him, reaching towards the bedside table. He found the small bottle he was looking for, and lay back down, meeting Bones for another kiss.

"Give that here," Leonard said, and Jim handed the lube over, a small smile on his face.

"You look like a man with a mission," Jim said teasingly, propping himself up on his elbows. He watched as Leonard poured a bit into his hand. Leonard had, to Jim's absolute delight, developed a very playful streak in the bedroom. And tonight…after a week of being exhausted and just falling in to bed together to curl up and sleep…was the perfect time to indulge.

"Oh, I have a mission all right," Leonard replied. He locked eyes with Jim and moved back up towards him. Jim lay back down, settling on the bed, waiting almost breathlessly to see what Bones had in mind. On his knees beside him, Leonard kissed Jim again, placing one hand in the center of his chest and pressing lightly.

Jim jerked at the feel of Bones curling his hand around his hard length. He inhaled sharply through his nose, then gasped and bit his lip when Bones ended the kiss. Jim groaned, pressing his head back and grasping the pillow under his head as Bones stroked him firmly and slowly. The slick, unrelenting up and down slide made him tense his stomach and legs, nearly completely overwhelmed by the incredible sensations. The feel of Bones' large, strong hand holding him firmly, sliding up and down on him, was enough to make him shake. Tremors rippled through his body, and he felt his balls draw up tightly. His hips moved up and down, following the movement of the slow stroking, and he clenched his hands in the sheets desperately.

"Oh, fuck, Bones…please…" Jim groaned, breathing heavily and tensing his whole body when Leonard focused his attention and used his fingers to rub and tease just the sensitive tip Jim's cock, spreading precum and lube with the pad of his thumb. Jim groaned again, arching as the sensations became too intense and he thought he couldn't take it another second, and his hips jerked into the air uncontrollably. _"Uh…ooohhh…_feels so good! _Bones_, oh, god, I'm gonna come!"

Leonard looked down at Jim, drinking in the beautiful expression of intense pleasure on his face. He was flushed all the way down his chest, and he was practically vibrating with arousal and need, and Leonard wanted to slake that need so bad he could feel it through his whole body. Stopping the motion of his hand, and just holding Jim's hard, hot length in his fist, Leonard leaned down, and kissed the panting breaths right out of Jim. He pulled away, then leaned down to whisper everything he intended to do against Jim's ear, while resuming the long, slow strokes…not hard or fast enough to make Jim come, but more than enough to make him shiver and moan in encouragement.

"Yeah, Bones, god, please…want you. Want you now…" Jim begged. "Come here….where's the lube?"

Focusing, Jim sat up slightly and made his shaking hands work to open the lube and get some on his fingers. Leonard straddled Jim, leaning over him to kiss him again, and Jim slipped his hands down between them. Reaching between Leonard's spread thighs, he cupped his hard and leaking cock with one hand, stroking just slightly, and with the other gently worked Leonard open. First with one finger, then two, and then soon after three, Jim stretched Leonard as he rocked back and forth slightly, moaning every time Jim managed to brush over his prostate.

It wasn't long before Leonard was pulling away, panting. "I'm ready, Jim. Need you now…"

Jim lay back and watched as Leonard crouched over him. He held the base of his penis with one hand, the other on Leonard's hip, guiding him down. Jim slipped into Leonard easily, and he rocked slightly, urging him in deeper and deeper, until he was all the way in, Leonard's legs tense as he rested on his knees on either side of Jim's hips. Jim stroked the strong, lightly furred thighs, then took Leonard's hands, holding him tightly and helping him balance.

Tremors shook both men, and their breath exploded out of them as they held still for as long as they could both stand it. Finally, with a strangled groan, Leonard raised himself slowly, and then let himself sink back down on Jim. He did it again, and again, shifting slightly so that Jim slid past that perfect spot in him each time, and he nearly sobbed with relief when Jim freed one of his hands to stroke his achingly hard cock, using not much more than the precum that dripped onto his belly.

The friction drove him to move harder and faster, and Jim grunted with each plunge, his body shaking and tensing as he felt his delayed orgasm rushing towards him. Jim gritted his teeth, trying to force it back. Leonard could see the struggle on Jim's face, and he was feeling it too, between the stroking of his cock and the feel of Jim inside him. He came down on Jim again, then forced himself to hold still, using his muscles to squeeze Jim.

"Bones, _gonna come!_" Jim warned through clenched teeth.

"Come for me Darlin'," Leonard said, panting. He wiped sweat out of his eyes, and moved his hips, almost making Jim cry out, but leaning down to cover his mouth with his own and keep it muffled as they kissed. Jim jerked beneath him, his fist tightening on Leonard's cock, trying to stroke it and make him come, too. Jim arched in the grip of his climax, heels and shoulders pressing into the mattress, and Leonard felt it as he pulsed inside of him.

After endless moments, the tension released from Jim's body, and Leonard allowed himself to move again, sliding up and down just a couple more times. Jim groaned with sensitivity, fighting the urge to cry out and only partially succeeding…but then Leonard froze in place, orgasm crashing over him with a power and swiftness that took his breath and his voice. Shaking and gasping, the contractions rolled through his body, and nothing else registered as he finally started to relax, slumping down as his muscles went lax.

Some time later, Leonard roused to the feeling of fingers being drawn through his hair, but he felt too worn out, too warm and too comfortable to move, so he settled for a questioning grunt.

"Hey," Jim said softly. "Welcome back."

"Mmm," Leonard responded. Blearily, he raised his head from Jim's shoulder and squinted in the low light of the bedroom, meeting Jim's blue eyes that were smiling at him. "That was…"

"Really intense," Jim said.

"You okay?" Leonard asked, making one arm work to bring his hand up and gently cup Jim's head. It was simple gesture of love and concern, and as always, made Jim realize again just how much he was loved.

"I'm fantastic," Jim replied earnestly. "You?"

"Never better. Could lie here forever. 'S perfect," Leonard mumbled. He smiled as he heard Jim chuckle in his chest.

"If we lie like this much longer, we're going to be stuck together," Jim said.

Leonard sighed deeply, tempted to just deal with the discomfort later.

Jim drew his fingers through Bones' hair over and over, smiling a little at the dark head resting on his chest, just below his chin. He drew a leg up, gently rubbing his foot over Bones' calf, and let himself drift for a while. Bones was right…this was pretty close to perfect.

Except…

"Bones, I really gotta pee," Jim said, gently tapping him on the back.

Leonard heaved another sigh, and reluctantly pushed himself up on weak arms and legs. He felt Jim slip from his body as he shifted, and he gave Jim one more lingering kiss before rolling to the side.

Jim's eyes traveled over Bones' body, taking in the full length of the nicely muscled frame, and then met his eyes again, neither of them experiencing even a hint of self-consciousness.

"Be right back," Jim said. "Should I bring a cloth?"

"Nah, I'm right behind you," Leonard replied, though he'd yet to make a move to get up.

Jim cleaned himself up in the bathroom and Leonard eventually followed to do the same. They moved around each other easily, fingers trailing along bare backs as they passed, not wanting to keep their hands off each other.

Back in the bedroom, they rearranged the blankets and pillows then snapped off the light and settled down, the pull of sleep a strong and insistent force. Arms around each other, bodies pressed close together, they lay in the cool, quiet dark listening to each other breathe.

"I love you," Jim whispered. "I don't think I even had a second to say that today."

Eyes closed, nearly asleep, Leonard smiled. "I hear you say it every time you look at me. I love you, too."


	2. Chapter 2A

**Title:** Becoming Our Own, Part 2A  
**Author:** Caera1996  
**Rating for this Part:** G  
**W/C:** 4,625  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine.  
**Timeline Notes:** A third anchor story (novel-length) in TBoPE/LAWG verse. Set five years after the end of Learning As We Go.  
**Overall Summary:** Leonard, Jim, and Joanna have settled into the family they created. Changes and challenges are coming, though, for all of them. Moving, switching schools, issues with work, dealing with past issues that show up in the present, and an expanding extended family, are on the horizon. Through it all, as Jim and Leonard's bond is tested, _family_ is what holds them together.  
**This Part:** Joanna makes a couple of decisions that bring her closer to finding a way to help her permanently define Jim's place with her family. Leonard and Jim begin their day together with a request from Jim that Leonard just isn't sure about.

* * *

Jack was clawing at her hair. Not hard, and he wasn't hurting her…well, not on purpose. Determinedly keeping her eyes closed, Jo snaked a hand out from under the warmth of the blankets and pushed him away.

Or tried to.

Thrilled at the game, Jack immediately latched on to her arm, holding her with his front legs and doing the kicking thing with his back legs. Jo's eyes reluctantly opened when she felt his sharp teeth on the meaty part of her hand, between her thumb and her index finger.

"Hey," she said. "Gentle."

Fairly well-trained – for a cat – Jack released her hand from his mouth and flipped away from her. He went back to playing with her hair, and Joanna officially gave in.

"Oh, fine...c'mere you," she said, pushing the blankets away. She drew Jack into her arms, and he immediately started purring, closing his pretty blue eyes in kitty bliss as she scratched under his chin. She indulged him for a couple of minutes, then sat up, officially ready to start her day. When she stood up, Jack immediately curled up in the warm spot against her pillow, and Jo rolled her eyes.

"Figures…you didn't want to get up…you just wanted my spot, Jack," Jo said, sitting back down to stroke along his back. "You're so cute. Yes you are…my good boy." She leaned down and placed a kiss on his head then stood again, stretching her arms as high as she could above her head.

It was on the earlier side, just a little after eight, and she was going to Ella's today to work on their school project. They were partners because they both had penpals in Scotland, not because they were friends. Jo wouldn't've minded being friends, but Ella was always kinda distant. Like, she didn't like Jo, but didn't not like her either. On the other hand, she had invited her over…so maybe they could still be friends.

Going to stand in front of her mirror, she pulled her nightshirt tightly against her body and turned sideways. She'd taken to checking almost every morning, and as always, there was hardly anything there. She still looked like a little girl. She knew she was younger, and many of the girls she went to school with didn't have much either, but they at least had something. She wondered how much longer it would be. Even Janie had excitedly showed her new underwear her mom had bought her. Janie didn't really need it, but she was now wearing a little bra…a training bra, she'd called it. Janie had offered to ask her mom to take her shopping too, but Joanna had frantically declined, flushing with embarrassment at even the thought. And if Aurelan was out of the question, her dad and Uncle Jim were definitely out of the question. She'd just have to figure it out herself later. When she needed it.

Sighing, she fished through her drawers, looking for something to wear that was comfortable for a weekend that promised to be as gray as Friday had been, if the scene outside her window was any indication, but also not babyish. She settled on a gray Mickey Mouse long-sleeved t-shirt and jeans. It was her favorite shirt, and Mickey wasn't babyish at all. Mickey was timeless.

She put her hair up in ponytail, then opened the door to her bedroom. Looking down the hall, she saw that her dad's bedroom door was still closed. She didn't even entertain the thought of knocking. If they were awake, and dressed, the door would be open. She'd finally completely learned that lesson a while ago. One morning, she'd tried the door, and finding it unlocked, let herself in…only to stop in her tracks at what she saw. Her father and Jim were lying together…naked. Mostly covered, she was beyond relieved to realize, by either the sheet or other body parts, but obviously completely naked!

Without making a sound, she'd backed out of the room and quietly pulled the door closed. Mortified, she'd stayed in her room until her dad knocked on the door, asking if she was okay, or needed to talk about anything. She'd quickly assured him that she was fine, but it was a day or so before she could look either of them in the eye.

Now, her eleven-year-old mind skittered around the thought of what they were doing in there, maybe naked again, aside from sleeping.

Her dad had talked to her about male and female stuff last year. Some she'd already known, some she needed the blanks filled in. Some she was happy to leave blank. Some…actually a lot…was occasionally the topic of conversation among her classmates. Especially at lunch time. She tried to separate herself from other kids during lunch…she didn't like to be part of those conversations. They made her intensely uncomfortably because everyone knew about her dad and Uncle Jim, and when they got on the topic, they wanted to talk about it. Sometimes they wanted to make fun…especially the boys. And they were very crude, and she did not want to be a part of it at all.

She hadn't told her dad or Uncle Jim about it yet…mostly because she was embarrassed, and because she didn't know what to say. What she really wanted to do was ask to have lunch with the sixth graders, with her friends, but she hadn't yet. Maybe this week.

In the meantime, she had a project to do. She grabbed her backpack from the kitchen table, got a cup of orange juice and a breakfast bar, and brought everything into the family room. She settled herself on the floor with the remote control, her back to the couch, and turned the t.v. on, quickly turning it down. She found the station she liked, and she opened her backpack to pull out the folder that had some of the different components of the project already done.

Ella had taken over the art part of it, designing the display board and the artistic elements of the assignment, and she'd told Jo to do all of the written stuff. She was aware that wasn't exactly a fair division of work, but Jo didn't care all that much. She liked writing, was good at it, and wouldn't have to do any of the talking when it came to the presentation. Ella was going to handle that too. Which was more than fine with Jo, as a good part of the project grade depended on the presentation. She didn't trust herself to not screw it up, either.

She opened the laptop her Uncle Jim had left on the floor, slid partly under the couch, and logged in under her name, then plugged her flashdrive in and got to work. She wanted everything ready to print so they could focus on just putting everything together when she got to Ella's. She worked quietly for a few minutes, going back and forth between Ella's written contributions and putting them in the right parts of the typed report, trying to type quickly like she'd seen her father and Uncle Jim do. She wasn't slow, but she knew her two fingered approach (pecking at the keyboard, her dad had called it) wasn't proper either. As she fixed a spelling mistake from hitting the wrong key, she resolved to work more with that online typing program Uncle Jim had found for her.

After a little while, she felt a furry body bump her side, and Jo looked over at the cat with a smile.

"Well, good morning Jack. For real this time, huh? You decide it was time to get up after all?"

Jack bumped her arm with his head, then put both paws on her leg to reach a head bump on her chin. Jo stroked the cat absently until he decided the quota for the moment was met, and sauntered off in the direction of the kitchen to see to his own breakfast. Jo spent a few more minutes reading over requirements for the project, reviewing what they each had to add to each part, and her eyes finally landed on the section about the words or terms both she and Ella had learned. Scottish Gaelic wasn't really spoken by either of their penpals, but there were a few expressions that were part of their lexicon that Jo and Ella had found noteworthy.

One Gaelic word, in particular, was interesting to her. Kirk, which meant "church".

It occurred to Joanna that she didn't know very much about where her Uncle Jim's family came from…besides Iowa. Nowhere, Iowa, was what he always said, though the town was actually Riverside. Jo knew her father's family was from Ireland, England, and Italy. Her mother's family was from France and Germany. But where was Jim's family from? Apparently, maybe Scotland.

That was interesting.

Another word that was interesting to her was one Tierney had used to describe who the man in the picture she'd emailed was. I call him oide, cause he's not really my dad, though my ma's been married to him since I was born. She looked at the word, trying to imagine how it would be pronounced, and she couldn't. Gaelic was just such a different-sounding language.

Checking the time on the laptop, Jo did a quick calculation in her head. It was just about 5:00pm in Scotland right now. Nervous, but curious enough to push the nervousness away, she opened her email and sent a quick message to Tierney. She swallowed her nerves as she waited to see if she was even going to respond back, and went back to adding a few more pieces of information to the report. Before she could even really get into it, an email came through.

Reading it quickly, Jo felt a rush of excitement. She only had minutes to set herself up. Standing, she unplugged the laptop and took it into the library, then went back to the family room and got her notebook and her breakfast. At the little desk, she plugged it in again, then also plugged in the microphone. She hesitated just a moment before logging in to McKinley's student access account, and clicked through to the secure program that allowed the penpals to speak to each other. Mr. Sulu, the school's IT guru (as he called himself) had come up with the program, and only kids with permission slips could use it. As she waited for her connection to be acknowledged, she took a second to try to smooth down her hair. Then, with shaking hands, she clicked on the icon and accepted Tierney's invitation to videochat.

"Hi there, Joanna! It's nice to put a face to the name!"

Forcing herself to raise her eyes to the camera, Jo couldn't help but smile at the blonde girl looking back at her with such a friendly, open expression.

"Hi, Tierney. It's nice to meet you."

It was awkward at first, and Jo couldn't really think of anything to say. But Tierney was a little older and, through their emails, got to know the person Jo really was. So she asked a couple of open-ended questions, helping to draw Jo into the conversation more until it was almost like they'd been actually talking for the last month, and not just emailing each other.

As they chatted, Jim made his way down the hall and paused outside of the library door. It was only slightly open, and he could clearly hear that Jo was speaking to someone. Jim pushed it open a little more, looking in. Jo was sitting with her back to him, and he could see she was talking to someone on the computer. He nearly interrupted her, concerned about who she might be chatting with, until he heard Tierney speak, and then he smiled, feeling a rush of pride for the little girl he'd come to think of as his own. He knew she'd get there.

Leaving her to it, he headed to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. Seeing that Bones left his laptop bag on a kitchen chair, he pulled the computer out, and then got a notepad and pen out of one of the drawers. After making himself a cup of coffee, he settled at the kitchen table and booted it up, thinking about where they should focus their search for a house. He knew it wasn't necessarily going to be easy to find one, mostly because of what they wanted…not a row house.

Bones couldn't fathom the idea of leaving an apartment to live in a row house. Not that it wouldn't be bigger and more roomy for them, but the idea of "living on top of people" with other houses on either side held no appeal to him at all. A "house" to Bones meant land and a house. And what he hadn't been prepared for was the idea that property here pretty much just meant a house with a backyard, and very little extra space.

On the other hand, they didn't have to stay in the city. They could look at surrounding neighborhoods, and maybe find a little enclave of other transplants who had the same notions about their property. Driving into the city every day wouldn't necessarily be fun, but it was totally do-able. The biggest concern was going to be Jo and school. So far, they'd been incredibly lucky with the control they'd had over their schedules, and they'd always been able to make pick up and drop off times work. But now, with even Jo's schooling up in the air…it was kind of like trying to put a puzzle together without first knowing what the finished product even looked like.

"Hey Darlin'. Thanks for getting the coffee ready," Leonard said as he came into the kitchen. Jim smiled as Bones squeezed his shoulder and dropped a kiss on his head. He poured himself a cup and took a sip. "Delicious."

"No problem. You're in a good mood this morning," Jim said teasingly. Bones turned around, leaning against the counter and crossing his ankles, his coffee cup hiding a smile his eyes were giving away.

"I slept very well last night…very relaxed," he replied with a wink.

Jim grinned. "Me too."

"What're you lookin' at?" Bones asked, nodding towards the open laptop.

"Houses. I haven't stopped thinking about it…it's one of those things I didn't even know I wanted till you brought it up."

"Darlin', I love your enthusiasm, but we're a long way from lookin'. We've got to get our finances in order first. Otherwise, what's the point of lookin' if we can't afford what your lookin' at?"

"Eh. You worry about the finances. I want to look," Jim replied with a shrug. Bones chuckled and ruffled his hair affectionately, then joined Jim at the table.

"Jo was talking to her penpal," Leonard said.

Jim nodded. "Yeah, I heard her and peaked in earlier. I'm glad she finally got up the nerve."

"Me too. They sounded like they were having fun. It was good to hear." He glanced at the clock on the oven. "You remember what time Jo's supposed to be at Ella's?"

"Eleven, I think," Jim replied. His cellphone rang, and Bones stood to get it for him off the counter where he'd left it to charge.

"Don't recognize the number," he remarked as he handed it to Jim.

Taking it, Jim shrugged. He didn't recognize the number either.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, Jim. This is Carol. Carol Marcus, from McKinley."

Jim's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Uh, hi Carol," Jim said, meeting Bones' eyes. "Good morning. Um, what can I do for you?"

Leonard looked up from reading Jim's notes when he identified the caller, surprised that the guidance counselor would be so bold.

"I'm going to be out and about today, running errands for this and that, and wondered if you'd care to join me for lunch? I thought we could discuss some of those strategies you mentioned."

"Uh, well…we're kind of busy today," Jim replied. He hesitated, then decided he needed to say something more definitive than that as Bones watched him have this conversation. "And I'd be happy to talk with you more about the different strategies, but I'd prefer to have that meeting during the week. If you send me an email, I can maybe try to arrange something within the next couple of weeks, and maybe we can open it up to anyone else who's interested in it."

"Oh…okay. I'll, uh, I'll send that email on Monday. Have a nice day today," Carol replied, the confident tone gone from her voice.

"Thanks, Carol. You too."

Jim disconnected, and set the phone down, looking up at Bones. "That was awkward," he said.

Leonard smiled, reaching with his foot under the table to gently knock Jim's ankle. "I think you handled it fine," he said. "Though I'm a little surprised she was so…direct. I mean, she knows we're together."

Jim shrugged slightly. "She may have been completely innocent. Maybe I misconstrued."

"Maybe," Leonard said. But he didn't think so. He'd seen the way Carol looked at Jim. "But either way, you were professional and clear. If she did have any designs on you, that should put an end to it."

"Designs on me," Jim repeated with a smile. "How can you be so old-fashioned, and such a cutting-edge neuro researcher at the same time?"

"Practice, and sheer force of will," Leonard replied drily.

Jim chuckled and turned his attention back to the computer screen, clicking through a few listings.

"I'd like to visit a realtor today," Leonard said. "And get this whole process rolling."

Jim nodded. "I'll call Sam. They really liked the person they worked with when they were buying their house."

"Good idea," Leonard said. "I was just going to pick someone at random, but I like the idea of going through someone who's already proven themselves."

"Hi Dad, hi Uncle Jim," Joanna said, coming into the kitchen. "Uncle Jim, I put your laptop on the coffee table in the family room."

"Okay, thanks Jo."

"How was your chat with Tierney?" Leonard asked, holding out an arm to her. She joined them at the table, leaning against her father's side as he curled his arm around her.

"It was good," she said. "I got some new information to add to the report." She looked at Jim, and took a breath, almost as if she were going to say something. She didn't though; just averting her eyes and flushing slightly.

"That's good, sweetie," Jim said with an easy smile after a moment. "Do you have everything you need? We have to leave pretty soon."

"Yup. The report is on my flashdrive in my pocket, and my notes are in my backpack that I left on the couch," Jo said.

"Jim and I are going to run some errands while you're working, so you call one of our cellphones when you're ready to go, okay?"

"Yup," she said. "I should have a cellphone, too."

Leonard rolled his eyes. This was a conversation they had often.

"Not yet, Baby," he said.

"When?" she asked, not whining…but close.

"When it's time. Which is not today. Did you eat?"

Joanna rolled her eyes, and Jim smiled slightly. There had been many versions of this conversation, and no one doubted there would be many more before Bones finally gave in.

"I had a breakfast bar and some juice," she replied.

"Where's your cup and wrapper?" Leonard asked.

"In the library," she admitted, slightly sheepishly. "I'll go get it."

"Mm-hmm. And brush your teeth."

"Okay, be right back."

She skipped out of the kitchen to do her errands and Jim and Bones stood, too, retreating to their bedroom to finish getting ready before heading out.

"I wonder what that was about." Leonard said, referring to the uncharacteristic display of shyness towards Jim.

He shrugged. "It kinda looked like she wanted to say something. We'll have to see if she tries to bring it up again. So, meet with a realtor…maybe see some houses," Jim said, knowing Leonard would give in if he really wanted. "What else are we doing today?"

Leonard pulled on his shoes and shrugged. "I don't know…an early lunch, since we skipped breakfast. Food shopping. We'll see what else comes up. Why? You have something in mind?"

"Yeah," Jim replied. "I want to take a drive by Ryan's house, just to see."

Leonard finished putting on his shoes and straightened, brow furrowing as he tried to put a memory to that name. Jim glanced at him before heading out of their bedroom, and Leonard followed. And then he realized who Jim was talking about.

"Jim," he said, reaching for and gently grasping Jim's arm. "Do you think that's a good idea?"

He shrugged. "I can't see how it could hurt. I just want to drive by and take a look at where he lives. It's not like I'm going to knock on their door or anything."

Bones' eyes narrowed as he looked at Jim. He sounded entirely too confident. He let go of Jim's arm. "You do this all the time, don't you? Go to students' houses."

"Sometimes the only way to get people to really listen to you is to show up. A lot of the kids who end up referred to me don't have the kind of parents who are interested enough, or even able to, take time out of the day for a school meeting."

"So you show up."

"Someone has to show up for these kids," Jim said quietly.

Leonard smiled fondly. "Well, Darlin', they're lucky you're the one who shows up for them."

"It just never feels like it's enough, Bones."

Ending the conversation, they entered the kitchen where Jo was waiting for them, and Jim picked his keys up from the counter.

"Okay, kiddo…got your papers, your flashdrive, everything else you need?" Jim checked again, giving her ponytail a gentle tug.

"Yup! I'm all ready!" Jo replied, and the three of them filed out of the apartment into the gray light of the foggy day.

The drive to Ella's was fairly short, and as they pulled over at the curb, Joanna could feel that familiar, heavy sensation start to drape itself over her again. She hardly realized it, but she reacted physically, hunching her shoulders slightly and lowering her head. Her insides tightened, making her feel like she wasn't pulling full breaths. She could hear her father talking to her, but she couldn't bring herself to look up, too caught up in the anxiety of going over to someone's house who she really didn't know – with adults she didn't know at all.

She was on the verge of asking them to make excuses for her…she could email Ella everything she needed. This…was just too much. She couldn't do it. She thought she could, but she couldn't.

In the front seat, Leonard and Jim exchanged concerned glances. Leonard reached back and cupped her face, then gently gripped her small, strong shoulder.

"It's okay, Baby," Leonard said. "You know Ella. She's been to our house before."

"Daddy…I can't-"

"Come on, Jo," Leonard said, firming his voice a little and interrupting what he knew she was about to say and opening his car door. "I'll walk you in, talk to Mrs. Eberly and make sure you're all settled, okay?" He didn't wait for a response, but got out of the car and opened Jo's door for her. He waited for a moment, but when Jo didn't make any move to leave the car, Leonard squatted down so he could see her. "Jo, you made a commitment to your classmate. She's counting on you, and both your grades depend on this project. So, come on now. Come on."

Reluctantly, Joanna stepped out of the car. Her dad was right. She knew her dad was right. She just didn't know why stuff like this had to be so hard all the time. She slung her backpack on one shoulder, and held out her hand, silently asking for support.

Proud of her for pushing through a bout of what he knew could be pretty debilitating shyness, Leonard took her small hand in his, giving her a squeeze. Jim watched from the car as they climbed the stairs, and Bones knocked on the door.

Jo kept her eyes lowered, staring at the toes of her shoes, when the door opened.

"Hi Leo, hi there Jo!" Lana Eberly greeted them. "Come on in. Ella's already set up and working on the kitchen table."

"Hello Lana," Leonard replied as he walked them into the bright, airy house. "Jo's been making sure things are all in order and ready to go, haven't you Jo?"

Still unable to look up, Jo nodded.

"Well, okay, then honey…why don't you go into the kitchen with Ella. And later, we'll maybe order something fun for lunch. How does that sound?" she asked kindly, familiar with Jo's reticence, and not bothered by it.

"Good, thank you," Jo said quietly, she glanced up at Mrs. Eberly with a little smile, and Leonard was happy to see how hard she was trying. She turned to her father, giving him a hug. "I didn't tell Uncle Jim good-bye."

"I'll tell him for you, and we'll see you in just a little while anyway, okay?"

"Okay. Bye Daddy."

She turned and headed for the kitchen, and Lana smiled at Leonard.

"She's such a sweetie," she said. "And so smart."

"Yeah, she's a good girl, for sure," Leonard said with a smile. "Jim and I are going to run some errands, and we both have our cells. Jo knows both numbers, so she can just give us a call whenever they're done."

"Okay, no problem. I don't expect what they're doing will take too long, and Jo's welcome to hang out here if you two need more time."

"Great, thank you," Leonard said as she walked him back to the door. "See you soon."

Jim looked up from fiddling with the radio when Bones opened the passenger-side door.

"Jo okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, she's fine. Every time it gets a little easier," Leonard replied.

Jim smiled. "Good. I hate to see her so uncomfortable."

"Hm. Tell me about it," he said. "But she really did seem like she'd be able to settle in, and at least have a good day with Ella, even if she stays quiet around Lana. She'll call us when she's ready to come home."

Jim looked over at Leonard as he pulled away from the curb. "I think you handled her perfectly. And I think it's good that you're pushing her over stuff like this when she wants to pull away."

Leonard smiled, reaching to take Jim's hand over the center console. "Well, there's this child development specialist I get all my parenting advice from," he said, giving him a wink. "So….what are we doing first?"

"Well, I called Sam and got the name of the realtor they used. It's a Coldwell Banker office across town, so I figured we could detour by Ryan's house first."

Leonard hesitated before replying, still not sure about this course of action, despite the fact that he knew Jim had done things like that before.

"I just want to look, Bones. Really," Jim said. "I want to see what the neighborhood is like, and what his house is like. You'd be surprised how much insight you can get from just observing where someone spends the majority of their time."

"Okay," Leonard said, recognizing that Jim was really set on this. "Let's go."

"Thanks, Bones. Here, you navigate," he said, handing Leonard the Mapquest directions.


	3. Chapter 2B

**Title:** Becoming Our Own, Part 2B  
**Author:** Caera1996  
**Rating for this Part:** G  
**W/C:** 4,625  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine.  
**Timeline Notes:** A third anchor story (novel-length) in TBoPE/LAWG verse. Set five years after the end of Learning As We Go.  
**Overall Summary:** Leonard, Jim, and Joanna have settled into the family they created. Changes and challenges are coming, though, for all of them. Moving, switching schools, issues with work, dealing with past issues that show up in the present, and an expanding extended family, are on the horizon. Through it all, as Jim and Leonard's bond is tested, _family_ is what holds them together.  
**This Part:** The enormity of buying a house together gives both Leonard and Jim a lot to think about, and Jim becomes "oide".

* * *

As they drove, they talked about the different schooling possibilities open to Jo as described by Carol yesterday. Internet and homeschooling had obvious instructional benefits. Working one on one with teachers for specific subjects would let her move as quickly as she was capable.

On the other hand, it pulled her out of the classroom, and that was a huge negative. Being around other kids, having to interact with them and with teachers in person, was a major part of making sure she continued to develop socially, and learn to get a handle on her shy nature. Neither Leonard nor Jim wanted her to live behind walls of her own making. They didn't want her to end up lonely and unable to relate to people. That wasn't a good life.

"But the University School…now that's an interesting concept," Jim said. "Allowing the students to select from available classes, and then hiring the teacher from a pool at the UCal ed. program, and having the tuition based on the shared cost of the teachers…it's kind of brilliant."

"Follow this road for about two miles, then we're going to take a left at Tooney. I've never heard of a school being run like that. How can it even be accredited?" Leonard questioned.

Jim shrugged. "We'd have to look in to the nuts and bolts of it, but it's probably handled the same way internet schooling is…just…without the internet part. But think of it, Bones…if Jo wanted to take a higher level class, she could, and her 'grade' wouldn't matter if she met the qualifications."

"It does sound good. It must be hard to get into, though. I can't imagine a school like that could have more than, say, 500 kids at a time to keep the programs viable and the costs of the teachers down."

"It probably is," Jim agreed. "But Jo's a pretty special kid. I actually have the folder for it. I thought we could look over the application process when we stop for lunch."

Leonard looked over at him. "You seem pretty sold on this, Jim. I'm still not even sure leaving McKinley is the right thing to do. Turn left at the light."

Jim did as he was directed, staying quiet for a moment. He wondered how much of what he was thinking he should share. Five years, and though he never questioned his place in the family, he still was sometimes unsure of the weight of his role when it came to parenting Jo. When it came down to it, no matter how Jim felt about her, she was Leonard's. And he wasn't even an actual stepparent.

Leonard turned from watching the window to look at Jim's profile. He looked a little tense, and Leonard wondered if he'd said something that struck a nerve. Whatever it was, it was clear to him that Jim was holding on to something he wasn't sure if he should say. He was usually pretty confident, and there wasn't much that could make him doubt whether or not to share a thought. Sometimes, though, when it came to Jo, he did.

He shouldn't. Leonard knew Jim loved her, and they'd completely accepted each other into their lives so easily. But Jim was a product of the way he'd grown up. He'd confided in Leonard more than once that he was concerned about whether or not he'd even know how to be a good parent.

"Jim," Leonard said. "Whatever you're thinking, tell me. I know you've got her best interests at heart, the same way I do. And, by the way, it's a good thing that we don't necessarily see things the same way. We don't always have to agree. Take a left up here, then a right."

Jim felt his face warm as Bones pretty much read his mind. He should be used to it by now, how well Bones knew him, and how he knew what to say when he was feeling out of his depth, especially when it came to Joanna. Bones just never doubted Jim's ability to be in that role, and he loved him for it.

"What's the address again? This is the street, right?" Jim asked, putting their conversation on hold.

"Yeah, this is it," Leonard replied. "1402-2…there…is that it?"

Jim looked where Leonard was pointing. There was a row house with two numbers on the door, and he realized that Ryan's family was probably renting the second level.

"Yup, must be."

Jim pulled over and parked across the street from the house, looking out of the window and taking everything in. It was an average-looking street, for the most part. The houses looked a little run-down, the paint a little faded. The cars didn't look expensive, but there weren't any junks visible either.

"It all looks pretty normal to me, Jim."

"Yeah, me too," he agreed, sounding puzzled.

"Not what you expected?" Leonard asked, looking over at him.

Jim glanced over at him and shrugged. "I didn't really have any expectations, Bones. I just…wanted to see."

They stayed a few more minutes, mostly sitting quietly while Jim just observed, thinking about what he knew about Ryan. Not much. He'd pulled the student's address from the system, but hadn't looked at the school files yet. But the librarian…Anna…who'd asked him if he could take a moment to meet with the boy…had said something was just staying with Jim, even as he sat in the car in a normal-looking neighborhood in front of a normal-looking house.

_"He seems like he's just adrift, Mr. Kirk," Anna had said. "Like he's…lost."_

His talk with Ryan hadn't yielded much. He was defensive and closed off. But the little he did speak belied an intelligence that he seemed to keep to himself. He'd been reluctant to make eye contact with Jim, but when he did, the distrust was obvious. In the end, Jim had found himself agreeing with Anna. He did seem lost…and that made Jim want to reach out to him even more.

Leonard waited patiently as they sat there, watching the traffic and people go by, until Jim put the car back in gear and carefully pulled away from the curb and back into traffic.

"Well," Jim said with a sigh. "I don't know any more than I did before, but I'm still glad we did this. Thanks for going along with it."

"Sure, Darlin'. I may not understand all of your methods, but I can't deny you're effective at what you do," Leonard replied.

Jim gave him a smile, and they drove in silence as Jim negotiated the streets back to the main drag that would take them across town the rest of the way to the Coldwell Banker office.

Just as Leonard was going to prompt Jim again, and ask that he share his thoughts about the school situation with Jo, Jim brought it up on his own.

"Do you remember what Jo said about those tests she had on Friday?" he asked.

Leonard thought back and nodded. "Yeah, that she didn't really study for them."

Jim waited a beat, then, "And you don't see a problem with that?"

"Well…if she knew the material…"

"Bones….she should have to study. The things that determine her grades _should_ be challenging enough that she has to worry a little about doing well on the test. I feel like she's missing out on a major part of her educational life because she's not learning that. She's not being given the chance to have to work hard to get something. And what'll happen when she gets to a hard class, or starts having to work for grades, and doesn't know how to handle that? Because it is going to happen eventually, Bones. I'd rather it be sooner – and give her a chance to learn how to study properly – than later, and have her struggle in classes as a college student."

Leonard remained quiet, absorbing everything Jim said. He didn't know if he agreed. He didn't think Jo would let something like that stop her. She'd figure it out. She might have to work harder, but she'd figure it out.

"Okay," Leonard said finally. "I understand what you're saying, but I don't think it's that big of a problem. I think she'll be able to handle harder classes. I think she'll figure out how to learn and how to study. And I don't necessarily think we need to yank the rug out from under her by cutting her time short at McKinley to accomplish that. I'm not seeing why waiting till there's a natural break – like the end of 8th grade – is a problem. A kid is more than academics, right?" Leonard asked, repeating what Jim had said yesterday.

"Right," he nodded. "But a kid is also more flexible when they're already new to something. This is her first year going to school as a middle school student. Why wait and let her get more set in the way she's just skating by for a whole other year when there may be an opportunity to put her on the right path _now_?" Jim countered.

Leonard shook his head and shrugged, still conflicted. "I don't know what to think, Jim. What you're saying makes sense. But I don't know if it feels right for her."

"Well, we don't have to make any decisions right now," Jim said. "But…let's just keep the possibility of changing where we send her every day in mind as we're looking for a house."

"Okay," Leonard agreed. "That's fair. And Jim…I'm not discounting anything you're saying. I appreciate your take on things. I'm just…I have no freaking idea what to do."

Jim smiled and shrugged slightly. "I understand. I just appreciate that you're willing to hear me out."

Leonard reached for and took Jim's hand over the center console. "Jim, of course I'm willing to hear you out. You play an important part in Jo's life. What you think matters."

Jim didn't answer, but squeezed Leonard's hand in acknowledgment. He knew that, and Bones never gave him a reason to doubt it, but it was still good to hear.

They arrived at the Coldwell Banker office a few minutes later, and Jim found a place to park just down the street.

"I am so excited about this," Jim said happily. He paused at the sidewalk, waiting for Leonard to join him.

"Me too, Darlin'….but don't get your hopes up about making this happen quickly. It took more than a year the last time I did something like this," Leonard cautioned.

Jim nodded. "Yeah, I got to hear the blow-by-blow from Sulu when he was buying his house. It seemed like there was a complication at every juncture. But I'm not worried about any of that."

"No?" Leonard questioned, as he pulled open the outer door to the office building.

"Nope," Jim responded confidentially. "Pretty much everything has worked out for us. This will too."

Leonard couldn't help but smile at that. He loved the certainty. They stood at the receptionist's desk, waiting for her to get off the phone. When the call ended, she focused her attention on them.

"Good afternoon, welcome! How can I help you?"

"Hi," Jim said. "My brother worked with Estelle Gavin when he was buying his house, and now it's my turn. We'd love to work with Estelle if she's available. If not…"

"Oh, I think she's here right now. Please take a seat, and I'll give her a call."

Minutes later, Estelle, an older woman with black hair pulled back in a rather severe bun, came out to greet them and ushered them into her office. Impeccably dressed and with perfectly applied make-up, she looked like a no-nonsense, humor-impaired lady who yelled at kids to get off her lawn.

After just a few minutes with her, though, Jim and Leonard were pleasantly surprised to realize her looks and her demeanor were polar opposites. Estelle had a sharp wit and a dry sense of humor that they both responded to. Leonard could see right away why Sam and Aurelan had so highly recommended her.

They sat and talked for a while, going over what they wanted and how they thought they wanted to do it. Estelle brought up a couple of good points, including the possibility of bringing in a real estate attorney.

"I work with one I trust – as far as you can trust an attorney anyway – and I'd be happy to set up a meeting with him. Since you're not married, and you'd each be co-owners, there should be a contract in place to protect both of you."

Jim had balked at that idea, not really feeling a need for it, and Estelle nodded, understanding where he was coming from.

"But here's the thing, Jim," she said, leaning back in her chair. "Contracts aren't for now, when everything's great. They're for a "maybe later" – if there's ever a problem, God forbid. What if Leonard here got hit by a bus? Could you afford a house by yourself? Who would be responsible for his half? Not the daughter, not any of his relatives. You," she said, driving it home with a finger pointing squarely at Jim's chest. "And then if you can't afford it, and he's gone, you're the one who's screwed."

"That's…a really horrible thought," Jim said, looking over at Leonard. And really, not one he'd stopped to consider.

"Not sure a bus was necessary," Leonard said mildly, not liking the imagery any more than Jim did.

"I know, I know…it's horrible to think of, and God willing, nothing will ever happen, and you two will live and be together forever. But if there's life, there's possibilities of all kinds…and believe me, I've seen it all." She looked back and forth between the two men. Leonard seemed more okay with it….which wasn't surprising. People with kids generally were. She could see, though, that Jim still wasn't on board. Not completely. So, she held up her hands in surrender.

"Look, I won't push. Just meet with the attorney, and hear him out, ask him questions, all of that. Of course, ultimately it's your own decision that you two have to make together. But if you're going to have me as your realtor, I'm always going to act in your best interest, and steer you to do the same. At least talking to an attorney is in your best interest. Okay?"

"Okay," Leonard said, answering for both of them, and putting a hand on Jim's knee. "We'll meet with him, but no promises about what will come of it."

"Fine, fine. Now…let's start talking about specifics so I can start looking for you. A house with a surrounding yard, huh? You do know you're in San Francisco, correct?"

They stayed a while longer, answering questions to give Estelle as much information as possible. She also walked them through the beginning of securing a mortgage, including the assignment to go home and check their credit scores, then go online and see if either of their banks had any special programs for doctors or teachers.

"I didn't realize that there might be a program out there for school district employees," Jim said.

"Not always," Estelle said. "But sometimes there are programs available that cover closing costs, or offer exclusive rates. Anyway, it's worth a look."

They left a short while later, both feeling a little wrung out, and Jim, Leonard thought, looked a little pale.

"You okay?" he asked, catching Jim's hand between them as they headed down the sidewalk to a little café they'd spotted on the way there.

"Yeah, I'm good. It's just…a lot to take in and think about," Jim replied.

Leonard nodded, but was still worried. It was a lot. It was a huge financial and personal commitment. And no matter how they felt about each other, this would be a big change. They'd be linked together officially, legally, and financially. Jim was right. It was a lot to take in and think about. Maybe it _was_ too much. Maybe he'd…over-stepped.

His own doubtful thoughts swirling, he absently pulled open the door to the café. One of the servers greeted them and invited them to take a seat wherever they liked. Jim led them to a booth towards the back, and they slid in, one on each side to face each other.

After they'd reviewed the menu and given their selections to their waitress Leonard decided this was too big to let go so easily. Not when they were both obviously…concerned.

"Is it too much?" Leonard asked. "Cause, Jim…it doesn't have to be done like this, if you're not comfortable with it. I can…"

"Hey…no," Jim said quickly. He reached for Leonard's hand across the table, curling his fingers around his palm, stroking with his thumb. He looked into Leonard's eyes, wanting him to really see he meant what he was saying. "Yes, it's a lot. Yes, I…well, I guess I underestimated how a big a deal this actually was. But that doesn't change the fact that I want to do this with you. I _want_ us to do this together."

Leonard looked up when the waitress arrived with their drinks, and Jim let him go, sitting back a little on his side. She set their iced teas down on the table with a little bowl of sugar packets.

"Thanks," Leonard said distractedly, eyes still on Jim.

"It's a lot, but I want to. I love you, and I _trust_ you. This is…it's big, for sure. But it's just one more thing." Jim smiled, shrugged. "Let's just jump."

Finally convinced that Jim was in this with him because he wanted to be, something within Leonard relaxed. Their lunch came, and they passed the time talking about other things, tabling the house for the time being.

Just as they were finishing, Leonard got a call from Jo, saying she was ready to be picked up. They settled the bill, and then headed out, shoulders brushing as they headed back to the car.

As they were headed back to the Eberly's to pick up Joanna, Jim's cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, but handed it to Leonard to answer. The gray day had turned rainy again, and driving on city streets with people who weren't necessarily used to the way such rainfall changed road conditions made him especially cautious.

"Hey Sam, it's Leonard."

Jim listened to the conversation that ended with Bones saying they'd be there. Hanging up, he shared the reason for the call.

"We're invited for dinner tomorrow night," Leonard said.

Jim nodded. "That's good. I feel like it's been a while since we've all had a chance to be together. You can make brownies to bring over."

Leonard rolled his eyes, but nodded. Jim was always bugging him to make brownies. The man had a sweet tooth, for sure.

"It's a good thing you run as much as you do," Bones gently teased as they stopped at a light. He reached over to poke at Jim's midsection.

"Hey," Jim said, pushing his hand away. "I'm the exact same size now as I was when you met me." He grinned good-naturedly, and nodded towards Leonard. "You, however, got a little more salt going on in that pepper."

Leonard smiled, running a hand through his hair. "Ain't that the truth. I can thank my mama for that one. And Joanna. And you."

Jim chuckled and shrugged, acknowledging the probable truth of that statement.

Minutes later, they turned on to the Eberly's street, parked a short distance from their house, and were knocking on their door. Jim decided to come, instead of staying with the car, curious to see the results of Jo's partnership with the older girl. As Jo had explained it, they weren't friends, but they weren't _not_ friends, and they seemed to work well together.

Ella was more than happy to show off the poster, pointing out the pictures she'd either downloaded or drawn, explaining how they all fit in to the project over all.

"And what about the written parts?" Jim asked. "Who did those?" He'd been looking at Jo, who was quietly gathering her things, but Ella answered.

"Joanna, mostly. I told her what to write for some of the things I talked to my penpal about. And she did the paper. And I'm going to do the oral presentation," she finished proudly.

"Well, it looks great, you two," Lana said. She turned to Leonard and Jim. "They didn't ask for my help once. I went over the grading rubric, and it looks to me like they hit everything they needed to."

"Excellent," Leonard said as he flipped through the written report. "Good job Jo. You too, Ella."

"Thanks!"

"Thanks, Dad," Jo said, and Leonard raised his eyebrows. He was almost always "daddy". Not in front of her friends, apparently.

"Got all your stuff?" Jim asked.

"Yup, all set."

In the car, Leonard turned in his seat to talk to Jo.

"Baby, it looked to me like you did the lion's share of the work on that project," he said. "What do you think?"

Joanna shrugged. "I did most of the writing part," she said. "But I don't mind. And Ella's going to do the oral part of the report, too. I think it's even enough."

Leonard glanced at Jim, each thinking the same thing…_No, it's not._

"Well, okay, Baby. As long as you don't feel like Ella took advantage of you," Leonard said.

"No…no, I don't think that," Jo replied, though the pitch of her voice made her sound less than convincing.

They headed home, the late afternoon still gray and overcast.

"Are we doing anything else today?" Jo asked.

"We don't have anything else planned," Jim replied. "Maybe just going to the food store. Why, sweetie? Got something in mind?"

"No, not really. I, um…I have something I want to talk to you about," she said hesitantly. She looked up, meeting Jim's eyes in the rearview mirror, then looking away quickly, a light blush blooming across her pretty face.

"Who, Baby?" Leonard asked. "Me or Jim?"

"Um….well, both of you, I think."

Leonard and Jim exchanged a quick look; both wondering what was on her mind.

"Okay, Darlin'," Leonard said. "We'll talk."

Back at home, Jo brought her backpack into her room and stayed in there for a while. She loved her room…it was a place of refuge for her. It was quiet, and she could just sprawl on her bed or on her floor with a book or a notebook, or with any of the craft kits she loved. Sometimes she put on music, sometimes she just sat in the quiet. Unlike a lot of kids her age, she didn't have a TV in her room. She probably could've if she'd asked. But her dad had never offered it, and she really never wanted it.

Out there, it was often loud and a little overwhelming. Not quite as bad as when she was younger, but still sometimes it was just all so much. And after a day at school, or like today, when she was at a classmate's house and feeling a little out of sorts because of it, it was such a relief to be able to come back to her room where she could relax.

Usually.

Now, though, as she spent some time with Jack, nervous thoughts raced through her mind. She was worried that Uncle Jim wouldn't like the idea that she had…and she was worried that maybe her father wouldn't like the idea. And then she thought that maybe she should talk to her father first. And then she thought maybe she should just write a letter and leave it for them to find, like Janie did the last time she was angry at her parents. Except Jo wasn't angry at all.

She was just nervous.

And suddenly, a memory from about five years ago arose in her mind. She was just a little kid then, and still confused over what it meant to have her daddy and Jim love each other. She remembered the breakfast that Uncle Jim had made – his second try at cheesy grits – and she remembered being held on her father's lap as Uncle Jim had explained that he was going to move in, and they were all going to live together, because he loved both of them.

Jo wondered if Uncle Jim had been as nervous as she was now.

_Probably not_, she decided. Uncle Jim wasn't the kind of person to really be nervous about anything.

That was so long ago now. She could hardly remember a time when Uncle Jim wasn't part of their family.

But…he wasn't her uncle. It'd worked for a while, but that wasn't who he was to her. She just hoped that they both agreed. She didn't want to hurt her father's feelings.

Deciding that she'd dawdled enough, Jo pulled her door open. Her bare feet making little noise on the tile, she made her way down the hall toward the family room where Uncle Jim and her father were lounging on the couch together, watching some type of news program.

"Here she comes," Jim said quietly. Leonard nodded. They were both curious to know what Jo wanted to talk to them about, but she'd headed for her room when they got home, and had been in there for a little while. When Leonard checked on her, he'd found her sitting in the middle of her bed, brushing Jack. He knew she needed her space, but he was very curious to know what was on her mind. She'd assured him that everything was fine and she'd be out in a little while, so he'd left her to it, to Jack's feline delight.

Now, though, as she stood uncertainly in front of them, Jim and Leonard shifted to make room for her, and she happily joined them, giving them each a kiss and a hug.

"So, Jo…you going to tell us what's goin' on in that little head of yours?" Leonard asked with a smile.

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "I am. I was thinking…Uncle Jim is not my uncle."

"That's true," Jim said. "I'm not your uncle the same way I'm Janie's uncle."

"So, um…I don't think I should call you Uncle Jim anymore. It just doesn't feel like that fits who you are to me," Jo said seriously. She'd held Jim's eyes as long as she could, but ended up looking away. When she did, Leonard caught the barely-concealed hurt in Jim's eyes, and he had to stop himself from jumping in. Jo had a point, he was sure, and it wasn't to hurt Jim's feelings.

"Oh…uh, okay, Jo," Jim said, doing his best to keep his voice unaffected. "You can just call me Jim. Or…is there something else you want to call me instead?" he asked, reluctant to suggest anything and wondering where this was coming from.

"You know my heritage project?" she asked, looking up again.

Jim blinked, surprised at the non-sequitor, but nodded. "Yup…you did a lot of writing for the paper."

Joanna nodded. "One of the things we had to do was look for words that were interesting to us that our penpals used, but aren't in English. And you know what word was interesting to me?"

"No, what, sweetie?" Jim asked, confused, but willing to play along.

"_Kirk_. Did you know that _kirk_ means 'church' in Gaelic? Is your family from Scotland, a long time ago?"

"Uh, well, yes." Jim answered, eyes finding Bones, who was looking just as puzzled. "My dad's side is from Scotland. I don't know if I still have relatives there, or anything but I might."

Jo nodded, then turned her attention to her father. "Daddy, I know you're not married to Jim, so I hope you won't mind…but I was thinking….since Uncle Jim's background is Scottish…and since you're not my uncle," she looked back at Jim. "And you don't feel like just an uncle. You're…like a parent. My other parent. I thought, if it's okay…I could call you _oide_."

"And what does oide mean?" Leonard asked her.

"Step-father," she said. She looked up at both of them, pink in the face. "My pen-pal has a mother, and a step-father she calls oide. And…I kinda feel like I do, too."

She was looking at them both nervously, their silence making her unsure about her request, and her flush deepened.

"Is…is that okay?"

Jim swallowed hard and blinked quickly, taking a second to dash a hand across his eyes and try to get a grip on his composure. Looking back at the little girl, he opened his arms to her, and she went happily, leaning into him and wrapping her arms around him. Jim held her, one hand cupping her head, the other around her back. He closed his eyes when he felt her rest her head on his shoulder.

"It's perfect," Jim said. "I love that word. I'm so lucky you want to call me that, Joanna."

"I love you, oide," she said. "It's just more of what you are."

Jim swallowed again, and took a breath that shuddered a little, then released her. He gently eased her back into her father's lap, then excused himself from the room.

Jo turned to look at her father, and found that he was looking at her with soft eyes and a loving smile. She noticed that he was looking a little teary, too…and he was, as much moved by Jim's reaction as he was his daughter's simple, innocent sentiment. Jo leaned in to him, kissing his cheek.

"You don't mind, do you Daddy?"

"No, Baby. I don't mind at all. I agree with Jim…it's perfect."

Joanna nodded. "I didn't mean to make anyone cry," she said, happy that her suggestion had gone over well, but a little perplexed at the outcome.

"Oh, they're the best kind of tears, Darlin'. Happy tears. Jim loves you, and you just made him… made both of us…" he amended, "so, so happy."


	4. Chapter 3

**Title:** Becoming Our Own, Part 3  
**Author:** Caera1996  
**Rating for this Part:** NC-17  
**W/C:** 6,762  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine.  
**Timeline Notes:** A third anchor story (novel-length) in TBoPE/LAWG verse. Set five years after the end of Learning As We Go.  
**Overall Summary:** Leonard, Jim, and Joanna have settled into the family they created. Changes and challenges are coming, though, for all of them. Moving, switching schools, issues with work, dealing with past issues that show up in the present, and an expanding extended family, are on the horizon. Through it all, as Jim and Leonard's bond is tested, _family_ is what holds them together.  
**This Part:** Extended family comes for a visit, and Leonard realizes not all of Jim's family are as accepting. Later, Bones and Jim enjoy some time alone, and Jim contemplates their status as a couple.

* * *

.

.

"Whose car is that?" Joanna asked as they pulled up to the Kirk household.

"I think it's Aurelan's sister," Jim said. "Did Sam mention they were coming?"

"No," Leonard replied. "I hope I made enough brownies. What's her name again? Stef…"

"Sefania," Jim replied. "Her husband is Thom, and they have two sons, Drew and Alex. I haven't seen them in, well…in quite a while."

Sefania and Thom lived a couple of hours away, in the picturesque, historical city of Auborn. They didn't come down to San Francisco often, Sam and Aurelan took the girls up there a few times a year to visit, and Jim wondered what brought them here this weekend. He also wondered why Sam wouldn't give him a head's up. When they'd first met, over fifteen years ago, Jim found Sefania to be a little stuck up, and they just rubbed each other the wrong way. They always had. Although nothing was ever said, to Jim's knowledge, he couldn't help but wonder if some of her aloofness had to do with the fact that the Aurelan's warm and complete acceptance of him didn't extend across her whole family.

Leonard eyed Jim from the driver's seat. "Problem?"

"Um…no," Jim said, deciding that seven years was a long time. He was certainly willing to start over. "Just surprised. C'mon, let's go see what's up."

Knowing that there were unexpected people there, Joanna hung back, holding her father's hand and standing slightly behind him as Jim knocked. A moment later, Kimmie opened the door for them.

"Hi Uncle Jim! Hi Len! Come on in…Aunt Sef is here, too! Mom has…"

"Hey…hi, hi...so good to see you guys," Sam said, coming forward quickly. Kim glared at her father for interrupting her, but he just slung an arm around her lean shoulders.

"Sam," Jim said, giving him a brief hug. He moved aside when he felt Bones brush by him, Joanna still in tow. "What does Aurelan have?"

"Eh, let's discuss that later," Sam said, smiling as his oldest daughter rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't going to say anything, Dad!" the teenager exclaimed, doing nothing to make Jim or Leonard less suspicious. "Uncle Jim, did you know that I'm getting my learner's permit this month?" Kim asked excitedly.

"You are?!" Jim exclaimed. "That can't be right…"

"Oh, it's right," Sam assured him. "She's been marking the days off on the calendar. Hi, Leonard, sorry….let me take those brownies. Hi Jo. How are you honey?" he asked, putting a hand on her head in greeting.

"I'm fine, thanks," she replied, glancing up at him.

"Guess what she calls me now?" Jim asked his brother, a proud smile on his face.

"What?" Sam asked, and all of the adults looked at her. Finding herself suddenly on the spot, she flushed deeply. Twisting her hands together nervously, she stepped backwards towards the staircase that lead upstairs. Kim took pity on her and rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Jo…Janie's in her room." She pulled away from her father and took Jo's hand, leading her away from them. Jo happily followed her, relieved to be away from the attention.

"What does she call you?" Sam asked, eyeing his brother as they moved into the empty kitchen.

"Oide," Jim replied. "It means step-father in Gaelic."

Sam's eyebrows raised on his forehead in surprise. "Step-father, huh?" He looked between the two men. "Is there something I need to know about, you two?"

Jim laughed and Leonard flushed slightly. "No – well, not that…it's a word she learned during a school penpal project," Leonard explained.

"Yeah, she said I don't 'feel' like Uncle Jim anymore, and oide feels right. How cool is that?" he asked, a huge smile on his face.

"That is pretty cool," Sam said, happy to see his younger brother so obviously happy. "I'm glad you guys could come today. So, if it wasn't _that_ do you have other news to tell?"

Jim and Leonard glanced at each other, and Leonard shrugged.

"Well…yes. But we'll talk about it later. What's up with the other side of the family?" Jim asked, referring to Sefania's presence. Sam turned away to put the brownies under the cake plate for later, but not before Jim saw his guilty expression.

"Yeah…sorry I didn't mention it. I kinda forgot when Leonard answered your phone, but then Aurelan asked that I didn't. I think she was worried you wouldn't come."

Jim was puzzled, and he exchanged a quick glance with Leonard. "Of course I would come…but, Sam…what's going on? You guys have something to announce?" he asked, remembering the way Sam had quickly cut off Kim at the door.

"Yeah, we have some news," he replied cryptically, his eyes smiling. "Everyone's outside…we're going to eat out there – Thom is grilling. You two grab some drinks for yourself…we've got water, sodas and beer in the fridge…and go on out. I'll get the girls, before someone slips and gives away the secret," Sam said with a wink. He left the kitchen, and Leonard turned to Jim.

"Tell me the deal with Aurelan's sister," Leonard said. Jim shrugged and pulled open the fridge, grabbing a soda for himself.

"Want one?" Jim asked.

"I'll take a water."

Jim handed him the water and popped open his can. "There's nothing really to tell," Jim said. "Sefania is…or was, anyway, a little stuck up. I just didn't care for her very much, and the feeling was mutual."

Leonard twisted the cap of his water back and forth, looking at Jim speculatively. "That's it? Seven years ago, you two didn't like each other?"

"Well, yeah. Seems stupid now, but we first met about fifteen years ago, and didn't like each other then, either. I just thought she was a snob, and that maybe she didn't like me because she was a homophobe. She never said anything to make me think that, but I was pretty defensive back then, and pretty much thought if anyone had a problem with me it was because I was gay. Even if I was being a jerk, too."

"Were you a jerk to her?" Leonard asked.

Jim shrugged. "Yeah…I probably could've been nicer. She just comes across so prim and proper, I would sometimes try to get a rise out of her on purpose. But I was a stupid kid back then. I'm sure she's changed a lot, too."

Just then, the sound of feet pounding down the stairs alerted them that Sam had successfully extricated the children from the room.

"Well, let's go say hi," Leonard said.

The weather was better today than it had been over the last couple. It was warmer, and without the rain. It wasn't swimming pool weather, but it was nice enough that the kids could play a version of kickball on the lawn, adapted for their limited number of five players. Leonard watched as Jo kicked the ball and lost a shoe. Laughing, she ran towards the plastic chair that was serving as one of the bases, ducking the ball that Alex threw at her, arms over her head. He tensed when she tripped and fell, but she popped up right away, brushing grass off of herself and calling for a timeout so she could get her shoe back.

"She's a lovely girl," Sefania said.

"Thank you," Leonard replied smiling.

"And tough," she continued. "A little tomboy. I wonder if that's because of the influence of two men and no mother?"

And though there wasn't inherently insulting in that question, Leonard gritted his teeth and took a second to edit what was in his head. He'd met this woman fifteen minutes ago. It was entirely possible she actually just was completely tactless. Jim, in his periphery, shook his head just slightly and Leonard was sure he was rolling his eyes behind sunglasses he wore.

"Maybe," Bones answered as nonchalantly as he could manage. "Though when she was little she was as happy bringing frogs and snakes into the house as she was playing with kittens. Remember that, Jim?" Leonard asked, looking over at him. "The snake? She did that all on her own, for sure."

"Oh, God, don't remind me," Jim said, grimacing. Very, very early on in their relationship – the day after their first date, as a matter of fact – Joanna'd let a garden snake loose in the apartment, and Jim had woken to her searching the room for it. There weren't many things Jim was actually afraid of, but snakes were one of them, and he'd had a hard time being in that apartment for days afterwards. Bones had finally assured him that they'd found the snake and put it back outside, but Jim had his doubts about whether or not that was actually true. Self-preservation kept him from asking.

Leonard chuckled at the memory, reaching to squeeze Jim's arm affectionately. Jim smiled and turned to look at Aurelan as she came out of the house carrying a big salad bowl.

"So, what's the news Sis?" he asked. "Janie is obviously watching every word that comes out of her mouth every time she says anything."

Aurelan shook her head and smiled. "All in good time, Jim. The kids know what'll happen to them if they slip up. How're you doing over there, Thom? Almost ready?"

"Yeah, we're all set…Call in the children," he said.

Leonard and Aurelan herded the kids into the house to clean up, and Jim took a moment to run to the bathroom as well. He was keeping it to himself, but he was afraid the news was going to be that they were moving. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if Sam had accepted a promotion that would necessitate the family moving. It had almost happened once before. The thing was, though, Sam was his only family.

If Sam moved far – across the state, out of state – he'd be alone. Not…completely alone, of course. He had his own family with Leonard and Jo. But he and Sam were the only members of their family left. Neither of their parents had had brothers or sisters, so they didn't have cousins, aunts, or uncles. Sam and Jim Kirk were it.

He dried his hands and left the bathroom, letting out a breath. Whatever it was, he'd deal with it. _And I have Bones and Jo. As long as I have them…_

"Hey, there you are," Leonard said, finding Jim in the short hallway where the half-bath was. "You okay?"

"Yeah."

Leonard grasped his wrist, tugging him close. He put his other hand on Jim's shoulder, taking a second to give him a brief hug.

"Worried?"

Jim hesitated, considered denying it, and then realized that was stupid. Bones knew him too well.

"A little. I'm afraid they're moving."

Leonard nodded. That thought had been in his mind too. "Well, we'll just have to wait to see what they say. Maybe it's something completely different."

Feeling a little better that he wasn't alone with this concern, they joined everyone else outside.

"There you are!" Aurelan exclaimed. "Come on, grab a burger or hotdog, and take a seat."

"Daddy, sit here," Joanna said, patting a chair beside her.

"And Uncle Jim can sit here," Janie piped up. "So you can sit next to each other!"

After a few minutes of passing food, handing out napkins, pouring drinks, and generally just making themselves comfortable at the table with full plates, everyone tried the burgers and complimented the cook. Conversations happened around the table, with Janie filling in her cousins about everything under the sun. Joanna didn't contribute much, preferring to sit quietly and let Janie do the talking, but she looked happy as she ate bites of pineapple and grapes from the fruit salad, eating around the melon. Kim, the oldest of the group at 15, was talking to her Aunt Sef about her plans to get her driver's permit in the next few months.

"So, Aurelan," Thom said, after a few minutes. "Have we waited long enough?"

"Long enough for…" she said teasingly.

"YES! Yes, we've waited long enough! C'mon Mama! Can we tell? Can we tell now?" Janie asked excitedly, blue eyes wide and cheeks flushed. She pulled her legs under her and kneeled up in her seat, practically bouncing with her desire to spill the beans.

"Whoa, Janie, careful," Jim said, steadying her chair. He looked up at Aurelan, amusement in his eyes. "Aurelan, seriously. She's, like, going to explode."

"Okay, okay," she said. "I think we've built up the suspense enough." She and Sam exchanged very impish glances – and in that second, Jim knew. He'd seen that look before. Twice. "Ready kids? One, two, three…."

"WE'RE PREGNANT!" Sam, Aurelan, Janie and Kimmie yelled in unison. There was a stunned silence for about two seconds, and then everyone was up and reaching for each other, hugging, saying congratulations, question after question piling up, until Aurelan held up her hands and urged everyone to take a seat.

Janie, ever the showgirl, slumped down in her seat, resting her head on the back with an arm thrown across her eyes, gasping as if she'd been holding her breath.

Sam saw and rolled his eyes at his (not any longer youngest) child. "Feel better, Janie?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "I didn't think I was gonna make it!"

Everyone laughed, and Leonard turned to the happy couple. "How did you get them to keep that quiet?"

"Diaper duty. I now have the ultimate bargaining chip, or threat, as needed," Aurelan replied.

"Yeah, I'll babysit, but I don't do diapers," Kim added.

Janie rolled her eyes at her big sister. "_I'm_ going to be the babysitter! You already had your chance with me! C'mon Jo….let's go play the Wii!"

"I wanta too. Can I come?" Alex asked.

"Me too, can I be excused Mom?" Drew chimed in.

"Sure," Sefania replied. "Play nice, everyone."

Kim sat with the adults for a few more minutes, but then got involved with her phone, and

"That's probably Tyler she's texting," Sam grumbled.

"So?" Aurelan asked, winking at Jim.

"So…I don't like it!"

"Tyler is Kim's not-quite-boyfriend," Aurelan explained. "Lighten up, dear."

Sam blew out an annoyed breath and Jim chuckled.

"Don't you laugh. You two have it coming, you know!" Sam said, leveling a finger at Leonard and Jim.

"So, guys…" Jim started, happy the kids were gone. "How did this happen? I mean, didn't you decide to, uh, close up shop?"

"Yeah, we did," Aurelan replied. "I had a tubal when I had Janie. We thought we were done."

"But….what? It didn't work?" Thom asked.

"It fails in an average of 4 per 1,000 women," Leonard said.

"Yup," Aurelan agreed. "It certainly does."

Jim looked at Leonard with a perplexed expression. "How do you just have that stat in your head? It's not even your area."

"When are you due?" Sefania asked.

"Well, that's the fun thing…I'm due May 30."

Everyone was quiet for a moment while they worked that out in their heads.

"But that means…you're five months already?" Jim asked. "You've known for _five_ months?"

"No, we didn't know!" Sam exclaimed. He took his wife's hand and looked at her with a smile. "She'd been maybe a little off lately, a little more tired than usual, but we all thought it was just that she's been so busy…"

"And I wasn't sick. I didn't have the same morning sickness as I did with the girls," Aurelan added. "Everything seemed, well…normal. Normal for me."

"Well, this is just…amazing! I'm so happy for you, I could cry!" Sefania said, and she got up to give her sister another hug. "How'd you find out?"

Aurelan laughed and turned pink, and Sam rolled his eyes at her, taking a moment to affectionately cup her cheek. "About a week ago, we were sitting in bed watching something," he said. "And it was like, after midnight already, and all of a sudden, she's like, 'Hon, can you make me some banana pancakes? I'm starving.'"

"The only time I ever wanted banana pancakes was when I was pregnant. And it just popped out of my mouth…I wasn't even thinking it about it!" Aurelan added. "And as soon as I said it, I was like, 'Oh my God, I'm pregnant!'"

Everyone chuckled, and Jim asked, "So did Sam make you those banana pancakes?"

"Yeah, I did…but first I went to the 24-hour Walgreens to get her a pregnancy test. I wanted proof!"

"So, you've been to your doctor?" Leonard asked. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, you don't pregnant at all," Jim added.

Aurelan nodded. "Jim, you're sweet, but yes I do. I thought I was just gaining weight. I was so relieved when it turned out the reason my clothes didn't fit right was because of a baby. And, yes, Leonard. I went to the doctor the next day, and everything seems fine, for having gone five months without any kind of care. I mean, thank God we didn't go to Disneyland. I would've gone all the rides without even a second thought."

"So….boy or girl?" Sefania asked. "Do you know?"

"It's a boy," Sam said quietly, and everyone heard loud and clear the incredible love in his voice. Jim knew his brother would love another little girl just as much. But this baby…this little miracle no one was expecting or wishing for, this _gift_…answered a prayer Sam had never even spoken out loud.

Sefania asked about a baby shower, and as the girls chatted, Jim found himself looking speculatively at Bones.

Seeing his brother settle with the idea of another baby – a baby he never even knew he wanted until it was in his wife's womb – Jim had the thought that this must've been a lot like how Bones had looked eleven years ago…all of a sudden completely enraptured with the idea of a baby he hadn't even realized he wanted. How heartbreaking it must've been for him, to realize that his wife didn't feel the same.

Feeling Jim's gaze on him, Leonard looked over and quirked an eyebrow, and Jim smiled slightly. Sitting close enough to reach each other, Leonard stretched an arm out over the back of Jim's chair and gently squeezed the back of his neck, fingers rubbing small, soothing circles and sliding through the short hair.

"And how about you two?" Sam asked at a lull in the conversation.

"Hm?" Jim refocused his attention on his brother.

"You guys had some news of your own, didn't you?" Sam asked.

"Uh, well…nothing as big as yours," Jim said. "But…" Suddenly feeling a little self-conscious, he looked over at Bones who raised an eyebrow and gave him a little nod. Looking back at the others at the table, he said, "We've decided to buy a house together."

"Oh, that so wonderful!" Aurelan exclaimed.

"About time," Sam said. "I was wondering when you were going to start talking about that."

Leonard shrugged. "It was time. The apartment was great for a while, but they keep raising the damn rent, and I realized that it was edging up to what a mortgage payment could possibly be. And we need more room."

"But…buying a house…together?" Sefania said hesitantly. "Jim, can you afford a mortgage payment on a school district salary by yourself? What if something happens?"

"Sef…" Sam said quietly.

"Well, practically speaking, that's a good point," Thom said. "Paying for a house is much more than just a mortgage. And it's not like you could work something out in a divorce. You're just two individual people pooling your money together. If one of you decides to leave, for whatever reason, you could both be screwed."

Instead of rising to Sefania's bait, Jim reminded himself he was a grown-up now and side-stepped her not-very-subtle dig at his career choice. "Actually, we're using the realtor Sam and Aurelan used when buying this place, and she's going to put us in touch with an attorney to help us work through some of those issues."

"I can't see either of us leavin' any time soon…or, ever," Leonard added, taking his cue from Jim and keeping his annoyance at Sef under tight wraps. "But there's no harm in makin' sure we're both covered in case anything ever happened."

"Well, I think it's awesome!" Aurelan said happily. "Where are you guys looking?"

"We're open to the where…what's tricky is what we're looking _for_," Jim said. "Bones is picky."

Later that night, back at home, Jim did the walk through the apartment, turning off lights as he went. It wasn't particularly late, but after an afternoon of running around and playing, Jo was tired and was fighting to keep her eyes open as she read in bed. Jim was still thrilled at the thought of becoming an uncle again, to his brother's little boy, this time. And the good news of the day completely overshadowed the slightly sour notes from Sefania. She hadn't changed much, Jim thought, but she also didn't seem as bad as she was when they'd first met. Being married and having a couple of kids had mellowed her out a bit.

Jim headed down the hall, stopping at Jo's slightly open door.

"Hey, Jo," he said quietly, coming in to her room.

Jo put her book down, and Jim tilted his head to read the title of the well-worn paperback. _The Witch of Blackbird Pond_.

"Again?" he asked, settling on the edge of her bed.

She smiled, shrugging. "It's one of my favorites. Can you believe Aurelan is having another baby? I can't wait to see him. Do you think she'll let me babysit? Well, I mean, if Janie or Kimmie doesn't want to one day?"

"Sweetie, I'm sure Aurelan will be thrilled to have you help with the baby," Jim said, not bothering to get into why an eleven year old wouldn't necessarily be Aurelan's first choice for a babysitter. Though, Jo would be twelve soon after the baby was born, anyway.

Suddenly, Jo reached her arms out to him, and hugged him tightly. "Are you ever sorry you didn't get one of your own?" she asked.

"My own, what? Baby?"

"Yeah."

"I kinda did…I got you!" Jim said, pulling away to look at her, and surprised by the question. Looking so much like her father, Jo rolled her eyes at him.

"I was _five_, oide, not a baby!"

Jim smiled at the use of his new title. "Five is the perfect age. You're already talking…you were already reading – though that's a little unusual…you were out of diapers, didn't need a baby carriage, didn't spit your food out…."

Jo laughed as Jim ticked off the reasons he was happy with exactly who he had.

"No, Jo…I don't need a baby. I had you, and you're perfect."

Jo smiled, then covered her mouth as it quickly turned into a yawn.

"Sleepy?" Jim asked, taking the book and tucking her bookmark into place.

She nodded. "Yeah, long day."

"You did play hard today. Here, lay down…" He got up so she could shift and slide down in her bed. He brought her blanket up and kissed her forehead. "Want me to get your dad?"

She nodded. "Yeah. We have someone new to add to our prayers."

"Yes, we do. I'll get your dad…have a good night's sleep, sweetie."

"You too, oide."

Jim left the room blowing a kiss to her, and she copied him, giggling.

"Hey, Bones," Jim said, coming into their bedroom. Leonard was sitting on the bed, and looked up from the laptop. "Jo's turning in. She wants you."

"Okay, thanks," he replied, putting aside the laptop. Jim pulled his shirt over his head, and Leonard was there to take it from him. "What're you doing later?" he asked suggestively.

"You mean, five minutes from now?" Jim asked with smile, settling his hands on Leonard's hips. He leaned forward, brushing his lips across Leonard's.

"Mmm…mm-hmm," he hummed in reply, bringing a hand up to cup Jim's cheek as they kissed.

Jim ran a hand through Leonard's thick hair. "Want to meet me in the shower?"

"Sounds perfect. See you there."

They parted, and Leonard went to tuck Joanna in, hesitating in her doorway when he heard her murmuring to herself. She'd fallen into the habit of saying prayers at bedtime when she was a younger child, and though she didn't do it every night, Leonard wasn't surprised to hear her finishing them up tonight.

They all had a lot to be thankful for.

When he heard her finish, he pushed her bedroom door open. "Hey Darlin'," he said.

"Hi Daddy," she said, reaching her arms out for him. He came to her side, and leaned into a big hug. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course. You can always tell me anything," he said, pulling away and taking one of her little hands in his. "What's up?"

"I heard you and oide talking to Aurelan about finding a house, and I just wanted to say that if having a house means that I might have to change schools, I'm okay with that."

Taken completely aback by Joanna's pronouncement, Leonard's eyebrows rose. "Oh, really? You're okay with that?"

"Well, it's not like I won't miss my friends, or my teachers. But I think I would be okay in a new school…don't you think so?"

"Oh, yes…I _know_ you'd be more than okay, Darlin'…" He hesitated, then decided to be straight with her. "But I was worried you'd have a hard time adjusting in the beginning."

Jo shrugged, lowering her eyes self-consciously for a moment. "I might, a little. It's hard to talk to people, and I don't always feel like I fit in with the other kids. But…I don't know. It might be good to try something different."

Leonard looked at his daughter carefully, hearing something important in that statement. "Are you bored in school, Jo?"

Jo shrugged, meeting his eyes again. "Maybe a little. I feel like I spend a lot of time reading by myself and waiting."

"Waiting? For what, Darlin'?"

"Waiting for the teachers to get me other work. Or for the other kids to finish going over stuff."

"Hm. Well, I'm glad you told me all that, Jo. You've given me a lot to think about. Thank you for being honest about how you feel about it."

Jo nodded. "I think it'll be really good when we have our own house. You, me, and oide."

Leonard smiled. "That sounds excellent to me, too." He leaned down to kiss her, and give her a squeeze. "I love you so much, Baby."

"Love you too, Daddy."

He smoothed her hair back from her face, and pulled her blanket up higher. "You warm enough?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Okay. Get some sleep, and we'll see you in the morning."

"'Kay. Goodnight, Daddy." She turned on her side, and Leonard stood, snapping off her bedside lamp.

"G'night Baby." He closed her bedroom door quietly, and stood there, thinking for a moment. It seemed he may have underestimated his little girl. Looking at the options the guidance counselor had provided seemed like a more prudent thing to do now. He made a note to himself to set aside time with Jim to really go over the school options during the coming week.

For now, though, Jim was waiting for him. He let himself back into his bedroom, locking the door behind him. He could hear the water running in the bathroom already. Looking forward to sharing a hot shower with Jim, he quickly undressed and collected Jim's discarded clothes with his own and dropped them in the hamper.

Naked, he entered the steamy bathroom, taking a moment to observe Jim's form behind the fogged shower glass. He felt the familiar stirrings of arousal as he slipped into the shower behind him, the clean scent of the soap he'd used filling the space.

"Hey," Jim said, turning around with a smile. "She all set?"

"Yeah…time for us," he replied, moving to embrace Jim.

"Mmm…my favorite time."

They kissed, and Leonard's hands smoothed down Jim's back to his ass. Jim made a little noise in the back of his throat as Leonard squeezed and pulled him flush to his body. They fit together perfectly, the heat from Jim's wet skin feeling incredible as Leonard held him tightly. Ending the kiss, Jim smoothed a hand over Leonard's hair, down the curve of his neck and held him around his shoulders. He gasped against the skin of his neck when he Leonard slid a hand down his body and gently cupped his hardening arousal.

"Bones…that feels so good," he murmured as Leonard closed his hand over him and stroke gently. "Hand me the soap. It's my turn with you," Jim said.

Leonard smiled and did what Jim said, handing him the bar of soap and a washcloth. Jim lathered it up and drew his hands over Leonard's chest, down his belly, and made him close his eyes and groan when he drew his soapy hands over him, encouraging his hardness as he stroked a couple of times, slowly, teasingly. Leonard groaned again as Jim slid his hands away and around his back, spreading the soap and laughing quietly at his frustrated expression.

Leonard shivered when Jim gently bit his ear. "Turn around," Jim whispered. Goosebumps raising all over his body, Leonard did as he was told. Jim pressed himself against him, his hard cock against Bones' ass, as he tongued and kissed Bones' neck. His hands traveled up and down the strong torso, and though the sound of falling water obscured the small sounds Bones was making, Jim was pressed so closely to him, he could feel them. His soapy hands rubbed down Bones' stomach again, and Jim took his hard length in hand.

Bones hands clenched into fists and tipped his head forward, resting his forehead against the tiles as Jim touched him, making him moan and shiver.

And then, all of a sudden, Jim's hands were gone, and the warm weight against his back disappeared.

"Jim, god…" he moaned, toes curling against the floor of the shower. "I was getting so close."

"Too close," Jim said with a chuckle. "Let's finish up in here…I want you in bed so I can concentrate."

Jim's voice held promise of incredible things to come, so Leonard gathered his wits back around him and stood on his own, taking just a few more minutes to finish washing himself. Stepping out of the shower, they both dried each other quickly, teasing and kissing as they dragged towels over their bodies.

"Mmm," Jim hummed into a kiss as they wound their arms around each other, bodies pressing together urgently. "Bed."

He walked them back through the bedroom, breathing hard when the kiss ended, both from breathlessness and from the sheer, incredible pleasure of feeling so much desire and _being_ desired in the same way. That their physical connection to and with each other had never waned, in all the years they've had so far, was just incredible to Jim. He loved the way Bones looked at him every day, ever since the first time they were together completely and fully. He never doubted his worth in Bones' eyes.

And times like this, when they could lock the rest of the world out of their relationship and just revel in the two of them…these were the times they both cherished.

At the bed they kissed again, Leonard slid his hands into Jim's hair, pulling him even closer. "You feel so good," Bones murmured. "Mmm." They wrapped their arms around each other, hands tracing up and down the other's back.

"Lie down for me?" Jim said against his lips. "On your stomach."

Bones kissed him again, then did as Jim asked. Jim followed him down, kissing a line down his spine, hands kneading as he went, until he was at Bones' ass, and he used his thumbs to gently spread his cheeks apart. Bones squirmed underneath him, pressing his hard length into the mattress, arousal coursing through him, making his muscles tremble as he felt Jim trace his tongue down the center of his back, all the way down…and pull away right before touching the exquisitely sensitive muscular ring.

"Ah, fuck, Jim," Leonard groaned, raising his shoulders and pressing his hips down. He closed his hands into fists on the pillow under him, as Jim chuckled. Jim swiped his tongue across Bones' balls, started kissing his way back up his body, his tongue touching and licking the whole way up. "Oooh, you're such a tease."

Unable to take it another second, Leonard turned over under Jim. Chuckling, Jim kissed Leonard, settling his body down and against him. "Impatient," Jim chided teasingly.

"Damn right," he said, his voice low and rough. Leonard arched under him as much as he could, wrapping his legs around Jim, forcing them to rub together.

Jim's hands tightened on his shoulders, then he squirmed free and made his way back down the front of Bones' body, kissing and sucking as he went until he reached the tip of Bones' hard cock where it arched over his belly. Leonard groaned as Jim circled the sensitive head with his tongue, then closed his lips over him and sucked. Jim held his hips, gently keeping them pressed down as he swiped his tongue back and forth on the underside, making Bones shudder and groan, hands clenching the sheets.

Jim looked up Bones' body, his eyes smiling as he used his tongue and lips to make him writhe and curse under his breath. He took a little more of Bones in his mouth, bobbing his head slightly. Bones couldn't stay still like that and brought his knees up, feet flat on the mattress as he lost control of his hips and pumped before managing to stop himself with a groan. He reached down, gently cupping Jim's head, fingers sliding through Jim's hair, wanting to make sure he was okay.

Jim hummed his reassurance, then pulled off, gathering some of the spit and precum on his fingers before sliding them down between Leonard's cheeks, and carefully pushing into Bones' body. Leonard bucked as Jim came into contact with his prostate, and he chuckled, loving how reactive Bones was…how _vocal_ he was.

Jim was relentless, brushing his finger over that perfect spot inside of him while his thumb brushed back and forth across the sensitive skin behind his balls, and then also taking Bones back into his mouth, tongue swirling around the tip.

Caught between Jim's fingers and his mouth, Bones' muscles tensed and released as he shook, his hips moving out of his control more often before he managed to make himself stop.

"Oh, Jim…please…" he panted, tugging gently at Jim's hair as he tried to deal with the intense sensations coursing through him. "I can't take it."

Jim pulled off of him long enough to say, "Come for me, Bones." Then he took Bones back in his mouth and doubled his efforts, sucking and tonguing while using his fingers to stroke that perfect spot in him without pause.

Afraid of hurting Jim, Bones held the sheets instead of his hair, fisting the material. He grunted and his chest heaved as he struggled to press his hips up against Jim's hold. Jim listened as his gasps and groans got more and more desperate until, finally, he went still… arched, shaking, clenching his teeth around cries he couldn't completely suppress, Jim sucked him through his orgasm, swallowing as he spurted until his body relaxed and his clenched fists opened.

Bones shuddered as Jim pulled off of him with another lick, and then carefully removed his fingers from deep inside. Looking at the gorgeous man spread out beneath him, Jim took one of Bones' slack hands and kissed his way back up his body, pausing to rest his head on Bones' chest, listening to his racing heart.

Leonard wrapped his arms around Jim's back and hugged him, threading his fingers through Jim's hair. He could feel Jim's hardness against him, and he drew his legs up in clear invitation. Jim looked up at him, meeting his eyes with smile as he raised himself up on his knees, and guided himself inside of Bones' tight heat. They both groaned, and Jim leaned down to kiss him as Leonard held him, drawing his hands up and down Jim's back.

"Love you," he whispered.

"Mmm, love you more," Jim replied quietly against his ear.

They moved languidly together, Leonard whispered to Jim everything he was feeling, how beautiful he was, how perfect…and Jim was breathless as he lost himself in Bones.

Leonard drew his legs up, holding him tightly and urging him deeper, watching as a becoming flush spread over him and down his body. He was grunting with every thrust in, and Leonard could feel he was getting close. Bones urged Jim on, reaching down to pinch his nipples, then slid his hands around to squeeze Jim's ass.

Gasping harshly, Jim dropped his head down to rest against Bones' shoulder, then suddenly went still, squeezing his eyes closed and gently biting as his orgasm roared through him, its intensity and suddenness stealing his voice and freezing him in place.

Bones held him through it, whispering to him and stroking his back comfortingly as he slowly came back to himself. After a few minutes, Jim relaxed in Bones' arms, and the turned so they were on their sides, facing each other. One leg over Jim's hip, tucked against each other perfectly, they drifted, still connected, too caught up in the perfect moment to want to change a thing.

Eventually, though, they did get up and spend a few moments rearranging themselves and the blankets. Once settled, they stayed close, holding each other and trading kisses. Jim ran his hand through Bones' hair and smiled.

"You're going to have a serious case of bed head in the morning," he whispered.

Bones quirked an eyebrow and gently tugged at a piece of Jim's hair. "Like you're any better."

Jim chuckled and kissed him again, trailing his fingers down Bones' bare back to where the sheet was draped over his waist.

"Mmm," Bones hummed contentedly. He reached an arm around Jim, and held him in a hug, then pulled back enough to run his fingers through the hair at his temple. Jim looked into Bones' eyes, then caught his hand and held it between them, against his chest.

"Somethin' on your mind, Darlin'?" Leonard asked, bringing their joined hands up to kiss Jim's knuckles.

He smiled and rolled his eyes. "How do you do that?" he asked. "How do you always know?"

Leonard shrugged with one shoulder. "I know you. I can see when you're thinking. What are you thinking about?"

Jim hesitated, lowering his eyes. He wasn't sure if he wanted to tell Bones what he was thinking about. He wasn't sure if his reaction to Sam's teasing question about their status was because he didn't even want to think about it, or because it was something he thought Jim wasn't ready to contemplate…

_Sam's eyebrows raised on his forehead in surprise. "Step-father, huh?" He looked between the two men. "Is there something I need to know about, you two?"_

Bones had flushed and laughed it off. So had Jim, for the most part. But the thought…the possibility of it…marriage…had stayed with him.

"Jim?"

Blinking, Jim smiled again and just shook his head. "Nothing in particular. There's just so much going on in our lives now…I just feel so…_blessed_ lucky – so damn lucky – that I have you."

Leonard held Jim's gaze for another second. He could tell that wasn't everything, but if Jim didn't want to get into it now…

Leonard kissed him again, slow and deep, and gently framed Jim's face with his hand, stroking softly over his cheekbone. Jim's hands moved over Bones' body, and he moved a leg to rest over Bones', rubbing his calf with his foot. They parted, breathing quickened as they pressed their foreheads together and stayed close.

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me and Jo," Bones said quietly. "You're my best friend and my partner in everything we do. I wouldn't want to change a thing."

And though Jim knew Bones meant those words in the best, most sincere way possible, a little bit of him felt just the smallest twinge of disappointment. But then it passed, cause really…. what did a piece of paper matter?

What they had was perfect.


End file.
